Alistair Mackay

Alistair Mackay (born 1984 in Johannesburg) is a South African novelist, short story writer, and columnist. He studied Politics at the University of Edinburgh and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. His debut novel, It Doesn't Have to Be This Way (2022), explores queer love and friendship amid climate collapse in a dystopian Cape Town. The novel was recognized among Brittle Paper's 100 Notable African Books of 2022 and longlisted for both the 2023 British Science Fiction Association Awards and the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards. Mackay's second novel, The Child, was published in 2024.