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Chidi Ebere has won the 2024 RSL Christopher Bland Prize for best debut by an author aged over 50
His novel, Now I Am Here (Pan Macmillan), is "paced superbly", according to judge Josh Cohen.
The prize, now in its sixth year, sees Chidi awarded £10,000 by Shaparak Khorsandi, chair of the judges. Josh Cohen and Niall Griffiths also judged the prize and the panel identified the retelling of stories of forgotten voices as a unifying thread in their shortlist selection.
Ebere said of his win: “The spiritual storm calms, the emotional dust settles, and I’m left feeling honoured to have had so much support on my literary journey.”
Shaparak said: "The lightness of touch when telling such powerful, impactful stories is what made this our favourite. There were many really strong contenders for this award, and I am so happy we chose Chidi as our winner."