Ethiopian-American author Maaza Mengiste has been named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow, securing one of the world’s most prestigious and lucrative unrestricted literary awards. As one of 20 exceptional individuals selected this year, Mengiste will receive an $800,000 grant distributed over five years to use entirely at her discretion.

Mengiste, currently a professor of English at Wesleyan University, is celebrated for her powerful historical fiction. Her debut novel, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze (2010), and her Booker Prize-shortlisted follow-up, The Shadow King (2019), draw deeply on Ethiopian history. The Shadow King famously chronicles the stories of the Ethiopian women who fought against the 1935 Italian invasion.

The MacArthur Foundation praised Mengiste for using history, memory, and imagination to expose the “human costs of political violence.” Her work has been vital in expanding African historical fiction and introducing complex narratives of European colonialism to global audiences.

Impacting the African Literary Ecosystem

This fellowship will extend far beyond Mengiste’s personal writing projects. She plans to use a portion of the $800,000 grant to fund two major initiatives:

• African Literary Translations: Supporting projects that translate African fiction into English to help the continent’s stories reach international readers.
• Photographic Archives: Continuing the development of a digital database documenting the 1935 Italian invasion of Ethiopia.

Investing in translation is critical for African literature, where moving stories across languages preserves history and broadens global readership. The MacArthur Fellowship provides Mengiste with a rare opportunity to strengthen the very infrastructure of African storytelling.

What’s Next for Mengiste?

Mengiste is currently writing a new novel set in interwar Berlin. The book will explore the rise of Nazism through the eyes of Black Germans, specifically focusing on those who worked as models for German Expressionist artists.

The 2026 MacArthur Fellowship is a well-deserved milestone for a writer who consistently challenges how we remember history, colonialism, and conflict.

Huge congratulations to Maaza Mengiste!