The authors of the books were noted African novelist and writers.

The achievement of Things Fall Apart set the foreground for numerous African novelists.

Amma Darko (born 1956) is an African novelist.

Miriam Tlali (born 1933, Johannesburg) is a South African novelist.

Kirsten Miller is a South African novelist, writer and artist.

J. M. Coetzee, the South African novelist, received the award in 1987.

Richard Mason (born 1978) is a South African novelist and philanthropist.

Peter Abrahams (born 3 March 1919) is a South African novelist, journalist and political commentator.

Farida Karodia (born 1942) is a South African novelist and short-story writer.