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South Wales Argus
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher wins Dylan Thomas Prize
The prize is the world's largest and most prestigious literary award for young writers. The Coin, which was released in paperback on May 1, 2025, was chosen unanimously by the judging panel. It draws on Zaher's personal experiences to explore themes of identity and heritage. Namita Gokhale, chair of judges, said: "The judging panel was unanimous in their decision to name debut novelist Yasmin Zaher as the winner of the 2025 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize. "Zaher brings complexity and intensity to the page through her elegantly concise writing: The Coin is a borderless novel, tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour. "It fizzes with electric energy." Zaher was awarded the £20,000 prize at a ceremony in Swansea on May 15. The prize celebrates exceptional literary talent aged 39 or under. The other shortlisted titles for the 2025 prize were Rapture's Road by Seán Hewitt, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson, and Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams. The 2025 prize was judged by Namita Gokhale, Professor Daniel Williams, Jan Carson, Mary Jean Chan, and Max Liu. Yasmin Zaher joins a list of previous winners including Caleb Azumah Nelson, Arinze Ifeakandu, Patricia Lockwood, Max Porter, Raven Leilani, Bryan Washington, Maggie Shipstead, Guy Gunaratne, and Kayo Chingonyi.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Yasmin Zaher: Palestinian writer wins Dylan Thomas prize
A Palestinian novelist has won this year's Swansea University Dylan Thomas literary prize for young Zaher was awarded £20,000 for her debut novel The Coin, which was described by the judging panel as "borderless".The prize, named after the Swansea-born writer Dylan Thomas, who died aged 39, celebrates writers up to that age to honour the author's life and Coin, the story of a wealthy Palestinian woman who struggles to thrive in America, tackles trauma and grief "with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour," the judging panel said. Ms Zaher, who was born in Jerusalem in 1991, received the prize at a ceremony in Swansea on Thursday evening."Whittling our exceptional longlist of twelve down to six brilliant books, and then again to just one, was not an easy exercise - yet the judging panel was unanimous in their decision to name debut novelist Yasmin Zaher as the winner," said Namita Gokhale, chair of 2025 judges."Zaher brings complexity and intensity to the page through her elegantly concise writing," she full shortlist for the 2025 prize was:Rapture's Road by Seán Hewitt - poetry collection (UK/Ireland)Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon - novel (Ireland)The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden - novel (The Netherlands)I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson - novel (UK)Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams - short story collection (UK)
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Dylan Thomas Prize celebrates 20 years of young talent as winner is announced
The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize marks twenty years of celebrating young writers this year as the 2025 award is won by Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher for her debut novel The Coin Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher has been crowned the winner of the world-renowned Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize for her debut novel, The Coin, as the literary award celebrates two decades of recognising outstanding young talent. The Coin, lauded by judges for its incisive examination of themes such as identity and heritage, emerged to unanimous praise from the judging panel, who were tasked with the arduous job of narrowing down a remarkable longlist to a single accolade-deserving work. Namita Gokhale, Chair of Judges, celebrated Yasmin Zaher's accomplishment, saying: "Whittling our exceptional longlist of twelve down to six brilliant books, and then again to just one, was not an easy exercise – yet the judging panel was unanimous in their decision to name debut novelist Yasmin Zaher as the winner of the 2025 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize." She continued: "Zaher brings complexity and intensity to the page through her elegantly concise writing: The Coin is a borderless novel, tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour." "It fizzes with electric energy. Yasmin Zaher is an extraordinary winner to mark twenty years of this vital prize," Gokhale added. Yasmin Zaher has been honoured with the £20,000 prize, a recognition of outstanding literary talent under 39, at an event in Swansea on Thursday 15 May. Her book, The Coin, released in paperback on 1 May 2025, is brought to readers by Footnote Press, a publisher dedicated to giving voice to marginalised narratives and viewpoints. The award pays tribute to Dylan Thomas, the Swansea-born writer, and his 39 years of creative output. It honours Thomas' legacy by supporting contemporary writers, fostering emerging talents, and applauding global literary brilliance across various forms such as poetry, novels, short stories, and drama. Other works that made it to the 2025 Prize shortlist include Rapture's Road by Seán Hewitt, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson, and Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams. The 2025 Prize was judged by a panel of esteemed literary figures, including Namita Gokhale, the multi-award-winning Indian author of over twenty-five works of fiction and non-fiction, and co-director of the renowned Jaipur Literature Festival. Yasmin Zaher now joins an impressive roster of writers who have previously won this prestigious prize, including Caleb Azumah Nelson, Arinze Ifeakandu, Patricia Lockwood, Max Porter, Raven Leilani, Bryan Washington, Maggie Shipstead, Guy Gunaratne, and Kayo Chingonyi.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Palestinian author Yasmin Zaher wins Dylan Thomas prize with ‘audacious' novel The Coin
A novel about a Palestinian woman who participates in a pyramid scheme reselling Birkin bags has won this year's Swansea University Dylan Thomas prize. Palestinian journalist Yasmin Zaher took home the £20,000 prize – awarded to writers aged 39 or under in honour of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who died at that age – for her debut novel The Coin. She was announced as the winner at a ceremony in Swansea, Thomas's birthplace. The Coin, chosen in a unanimous decision by judges, 'is a borderless novel, tackling trauma and grief with bold and poetic moments of quirkiness and humour', said writer and judging chair Namita Gokhale. 'It fizzes with electric energy', with Zaher bringing 'complexity and intensity to the page through her elegantly concise writing'. Born in 1991 in Jerusalem, Zaher studied biomedical engineering at Yale University and creative writing at the New School, where she was advised by the novelist Katie Kitamura. Kitamura described The Coin as a 'brilliant, audacious, powerhouse of a novel. A story of obsession and appetite, politics and class, it is deliciously unruly. An exceptional debut by an outrageous new talent.' The novel follows a wealthy Palestinian woman as she tries to set down roots in New York, teaching in a school for underprivileged boys. However, she begins to feel stifled in the US, and develops an obsession with cleanliness and purity. In an interview last July, Zaher said that she had 'very mixed feelings' about her novel coming out at this time. 'Publishing a novel is a dream come true for me, but the joy is muted by grief. Deep inside, I also know that current events are driving some of the interest in the book, and I feel very uncomfortable with that, because I never considered myself as speaking in the name of my people. 'But I tell myself that identity is not pure, that life is messy, and, maybe most importantly, that literature is at its best when it resists the boxes.' Rapture's Road by Seán Hewitt (Cape) Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Fig Tree) The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden (Viking) I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson (Faber) Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams (4th Estate) The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Footnote) Other writers shortlisted for this year's prize were Rapture's Road by Seán Hewitt, Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden, I Will Crash by Rebecca Watson and Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good by Eley Williams. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Alongside Gokhale on the judging panel were the writer Jan Carson, poet Mary Jean Chan, critic Max Liu and academic Daniel Williams. Previous winners of the prize, launched in 2006, include Max Porter, Bryan Washington and Patricia Lockwood. Last year, Caleb Azumah Nelson won the award for his novel Small Worlds. 'Zaher is an extraordinary winner to mark 20 years of this vital prize,' said Gokhale.
