Literary Birthday – 23 November – Zoë Wicomb

Zoë Wicomb was born 23 November 1948 and died 13 October 2025.

Zoë Wicomb Quotes

1. I also can’t explain why I push through with the writing, except that it seems to be what living is about, pushing at the limits of one’s capabilities. (via)
2. I don’t want to present writing as a mysterious or magical thing, but at the same time, I don’t know how my various attempts evolve into the final representation. (via)
3. I do find it impossibly difficult to write, and it is not until I’ve beaten out a first draft, and thus finally discover what the novel is really about, that there is any pleasure to be found in the various redrafts. (via)
4. Enthusiasm for writing is engendered by the many wonderful examples of inspiring literature, so the teaching of writing is closely connected to the teaching of careful reading, although I do think it important to stress that writing involves hard work and a routine that should be sacrosanct. (via)

Zoë Wicomb was a South African author and academic who lived in the United Kingdom from the 1970s until her death. Her 1987 debut, You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town established her as a powerful voice in South African literature. Her subsequent novels, David’s Story (2000), Playing in the Light (2006), October (2014), and Still Life (2020) cemented her place among the most important writers of post-apartheid South Africa. (via) Zoë Wicomb won the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize.

Source for image: UWC

by Amanda Patterson

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