Trinidadian cops Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Caribbean
Jamir Nazir from Trinidad and Tobago has won the 2026 regional Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the Caribbean.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is the world’s most global literature prize, with nearly 8,000 entries each year.
Nazir is one of five regional winners announced by the Commonwealth Foundation and will go through to the final round of judging for the overall winner, to be announced on June 30.
The 61-year-old writer from Trinidad and Tobago wins for The Serpent in the Grove — a story of a struggling farmer, a silenced young wife, and a grove that seems to remember what human beings try to bury.
Judges said they were impressed by the “precise yet richly evocative” language drawing readers into “a story with a melodic voice that lingers long after the final line”.
A Trinidadian of East Indian heritage, Nazir is a prolific poet and author, particularly known for his love poetry.
He saw off strong competition from five other authors — Cosmata Lindie from Guyana and Roger-Mark De Souza, Jason Dookeran, Jochelle Greaves and Celeste Mohammed (Trinidad and Tobago).
In a double-first for Trinidad and Tobago, this year’s African regional winner, Lisa-Anne Julien, was also born there.
