South African author, translator, and academic Zoe Wicomb passed away in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, October 13, 2025.
Zoë Wicomb was born in Namaqualand, Northern Cape, in 1948, and grew up during the height of apartheid, a time that deeply influenced her writing and lifelong inquiry into the complexities of belonging and selfhood. After completing her studies at the University of the Western Cape, she moved to the United Kingdom, where she pursued postgraduate studies at Reading University.
Her academic journey led her to become a respected lecturer and professor in English literature, teaching first in Nottingham, and later at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, where she served as Professor of English Studies until her retirement in 2009. She also maintained strong ties to her homeland, holding the title of Professor Extraordinaire at Stellenbosch University between 2005 and 2011.
Her literary debut, You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town (1987), a collection of interlinked short stories, established her as a powerful and introspective voice in South African literature. Later works such as David’s Story (2000), Playing in the Light (2006), and October (2014) expanded her reputation internationally, earning her the M Net Literary Award and the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction from Yale University in 2013. She also took roles judging prizes like the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and the Caine Prize.
She passed away on October 13, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of brilliance, courage, and quiet revolution through words.
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