Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah wins Nobel literature prize

• Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Literature, referred to Gurnah as "one of the world’s more pre-eminent post-colonial writers."

State of play: Gurnah is the fifth African and the first in nearly two decades to win the literature prize, the New York Times notes.

• He will receive a gold medal along with 10 million Swedish kronor, which amounts to over $1.14 million, per AP.

Details: Gurnah was born in 1948 in Zanzibar and is based in England. He recently retired from his position as a professor of English at the University of Kent. The writer has published 10 novels, with his fourth novel "Paradise" being one of his most known.