“An important, if not essential, voice of contemporary South Africa.”– CA Davids, award-winning author of How To Be A Revolutionary

The

Child

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'Fresh, unflinching and propulsive' - SJ Naudé

Novels

The story of three queer friends trying to survive climate collapse in Cape Town

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Essays & Short Stories

My short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies, literary magazines and websites, such as Queer Africa 2, which was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Awards, the Commonwealth Writers’ adda magazine, and various volumes of New Contrast.

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About

Alistair Mackay (born 1984) is a South African novelist, short story writer and columnist. His debut novel It Doesn't Have To Be This Way was chosen by Brittle Paper as one of the 100 Notable African Books of 2022,[1] and was long-listed for both the 2023 British Science Fiction Association Awards (for best novel)[2] and the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards (for best fiction).[3]

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Writing

My writing has been published in a number of South African media titles, such as Financial Mail, Daily Maverick, Mambaonline and Marklives, as well as in literary anthologies and literary magazines. Both my fiction and non-fiction tend to explore queerness, marginalisation, social justice and climate change.

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