Caine Prize appoints Jarrett-Macauley as chair of trustees

The Caine Prize has apppointed Dr Delia Jarrett-Macauley as chair of its board of trustees and of its advisory council.

Jarrett-Macauley will succeed Jonathan Taylor CBE, a founder of the prize, who has retired having served as chairman since its inception 17 years ago.

Taylor said: “I have been very glad and proud to have led the Caine Prize since its foundation. We have come a long way and the prize has provided a launching pad for very many successful literary careers. I am delighted that Delia will be succeeding me. She is an accomplished writer, broadcaster, academic and consultant. Most recently she has chaired the panel of judges for the 2016 Caine Prize. Under her leadership the prize will continue to develop and she will take it in exciting new directions.”

Taylor was chairman of the Booker Prize Foundation from 2001 to 2015. He was also chair of the trustees of the International Prize of Arabic Fiction.

Jarrett-Macauley said: “I am honoured and delighted to have been appointed as the chair. I hope to push the boundaries of the Caine Prize: a venture that attracts the greatest literary talent from the African continent. I am looking forward to working with Lizzy Attree, our director, and with the board of trustees and council members.”

Jarrett-Macauley is a writer of Sierra Leonean parentage, based in London. Among her published works is the Orwell-prize winning novel Moses, Citizen and Me (Granta). She has published two edited collections, the most recent being Shakespeare, Race and Performance –The Diverse Bard (Routledge).

In addition to Jarrett-Macauley, the board of trustees has been "reinforced" and "rejuvenated" by four new members: Gus Casely-Hayford, cultural historian; Adam Freudenheim, publisher of Pushkin Press; Fiammetta Rocco, books and art editor at the Economist; and Véronique Tadjo, an author and poet.

Earlier this month, Jarrett-Macauley announced that this year’s Caine Prize winner was Lidudumalingani from South Africa, for his short story "Memories We Lost", published in Incredible Journey: Stories That Move You (Burnet Media, South Africa, 2015). "Memories We Lost" is available to read here.