Jamaican author Diana McCaulay wins 2026 RSL Ondaatje Prize for A House for Miss Pauline
Key Points(5)
- Jamaican writer Diana McCaulay has won the 2026 RSL Ondaatje Prize for her novel A House for Miss Pauline , securing the prestigious £10,000 (approximately J$2 million) award at a ceremony in London on Monday.
- Presented annually by the Royal Society of Literature since 2004, the prize recognizes a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place.
- McCaulay's novel, published in the United Kingdom by Dialogue Books and in the United States by Algonquin Books in February 2025, was praised by judges for its exploration of history, identity and belonging through a distinctly Jamaican lens.
- Her novel was shortlisted alongside The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet, The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine, Helm by Sarah Hall, Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal, and Greyhound by Joanna Pocock.
- The award marks another major achievement for McCaulay, one of Jamaica's most celebrated literary figures.
Jamaican writer Diana McCaulay has won the 2026 RSL Ondaatje Prize for her novel A House for Miss Pauline, securing the prestigious £10,000 (approximately J$2 million) award at a ceremony in London on Monday.
Presented annually by the Royal Society of Literature since 2004, the prize recognizes a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place.
McCaulay's novel, published in the United Kingdom by Dialogue Books and in the United States by Algonquin Books in February 2025, was praised by judges for its exploration of history, identity and belonging through a distinctly Jamaican lens.
RSL judge Claire Armitstead described the work as “an evocative and powerful novel of belonging, with a fabulously eccentric protagonist, which complicates everything we assume about colonial history in all the right ways.”
McCaulay was the only Caribbean writer among the six shortlisted authors competing for this year's prize. Her novel was shortlisted alongside The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan by Lyse Doucet, The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine, Helm by Sarah Hall, Saraswati by Gurnaik Johal, and Greyhound by Joanna Pocock.
The award marks another major achievement for McCaulay, one of Jamaica's most celebrated literary figures. A recipient of the Gold Musgrave Medal, Jamaica's highest honor for lifetime achievement in the arts and sciences, she is also a two-time winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the Caribbean region, having claimed the title in 2012 and 2022.
Her literary accolades also include being shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and winning the Watson, Little 50 Prize.
Beyond her writing career, McCaulay is widely recognized for her environmental advocacy. She founded and served as chief executive officer of the Jamaica Environment Trust and has received numerous honors for her conservation work, including the Ewan P. McFarlane Award for Outstanding Environmental Leadership, a Bronze Musgrave Medal and Jamaica's Order of Distinction.
The victory places A House for Miss Pauline among the distinguished works recognized by the RSL Ondaatje Prize and further elevates Jamaican literature on the international stage.
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