is a Sudanese writer and the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Her sixth novel, River Spirit, was published in March 2023 and described by The New York Times as ‘Dazzling… a novel of war, love, faith, womanhood and–crucially–the tussle over truth and public narratives’. Nobel Laureate, Abdulrazak Gurnah, described it as ‘A novel of extraordinary sympathy and insight–a wonderful achievement.’ Leila’s previous novels are Bird Summons, The Kindness of Enemies, The Translator, Minaret, and Lyrics Alley, Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards. Her short story collection Elsewhere, Home, won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year. Leila’s work has been translated into fifteen languages and she was nominated three times for the Orange Prize (now the Women’s Prize for Fiction). She is Honorary Professor of the WORD center at the University of Aberdeen.
