Vernon R.L. Head

Vernon R.L Head is a birdwatcher and environmentalist. He is also a South African poet, a bestselling novelist, and an internationally acclaimed architect. His first book – a non-fiction narrative – The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World, was long-listed for the 2015 Sunday Times Alan Paton Literature Prize, and has recently been translated into Arabic and other languages. His first novel, A Tree for the Birds, was long-listed for the Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize and short-listed for the National Institute of Humanities & Social Sciences 2020 Fiction Prize. His poetry has been long-listed for the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Prize in 2014, 2017, and again in 2019. His latest novel On the Wave of Gulls came out in 2023.