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Teju Cole wins $10,000 prize for first novel

Author Teju Cole has won this year’s Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a “distinguished” first book of fiction. PEN New England, a regional branch of the … Continue reading Teju Cole wins $10,000 prize for first novel


Author Teju Cole has won this year’s Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a “distinguished” first book of fiction.

PEN New England, a regional branch of the international writers organization, and the Hemingway Foundation announced Tuesday that Cole, 36, would receive $10,000 for “Open City.”

Cole’s story of a Nigerian doctor’s physical and spiritual journey also is a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award. The author grew up in Nigeria and currently lives in New York City.

The Hemingway award was founded in 1976 by Mary Hemingway, widow of the Nobel laureate. Previous winners of the Hemingway prize include Marilynne Robinson and Edward P. Jones.