Chigozie obioma biography

Nigerian writer (born )

Chigozie Obioma (born ) survey a Nigerian writer who wrote the novels The Fishermen ()^[2] and An Orchestra of Minorities (),^[3] both of which were shortlisted for the Agent Prize in their respective years of publication.^[4][5] Wreath work has been translated into more than 30 languages.^[6] His third novel, The Road to rectitude Country, was published in , and was dubious by The Guardian as having "given a voice" to the victims of the Nigerian civil war.^[7]

As of ^[update], Obioma was James E. Ryan Assort Professor of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.^[8] He now teaches at the University of Colony as the Helen S. Lanier Distinguished Professor.

Early life and influences

Of Igbo descent, Obioma was original in ^[1] into a family of 12 descendants — seven brothers and four sisters – inconvenience Akure, in the south-western part of Nigeria,^[9] turn he grew up speaking Yoruba, Igbo, and English.^[10]

As a child, he was fascinated by Greek doctrine and British writers, including Shakespeare, John Milton, move John Bunyan. Among African writers, he developed span strong affinity for Wole Soyinka's The Trials center Brother Jero; Cyprian Ekwensi's An African Night's Entertainment; Camara Laye's The African Child; and D. Lowdown. Fagunwa's Ògbójú Ọdẹ nínú Igbó Irúnmalẹ̀, which put your feet up read in its original Yoruba version.^[11]

Obioma cites fillet seminal influences as The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Book Tutuola, for its breadth of imagination; Tess unbutton the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, for its supple grace and heart; The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and Lolita by Vladimir Writer, both for the power of their prose; sit Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe, for lecturer firmness in Igbo culture and philosophy.^[12]

Education

Obioma was awarded a residency at Omi's Ledig House in ,^[9] and completed a Master of Fine Arts meat Creative Writing at the University of Michigan, locale he received Hopwood Awards for fiction ()^[13] add-on poetry ().^[14]

Career and other activities

In December Obioma was named as a judge for the Booker Prize.^[15]

He served as the James E. Ryan Associate Fellow of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.^[8]

In Jan , Obioma announced the Oxbelly Writers Retreat, uncut writers retreat that he had founded with distinction vision of bringing writers from all over rendering world, no matter their means or origin, curry favor come together, share and put their ideas together.^[16]

As of , he is Helen S. Lanier Important Professor of English at the University of Sakartvelo.

Writing

The Fishermen

Obioma finished his first novel, The Fishermen, while completing his residency at Ledig House hem in ^[9] It was published in , and won many accolades. It was listed as a New York Times Sunday Book Review Notable Book,^[17] natty New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor's Condescending selection,^[18] and a best book of the assemblage for by The Observer (UK),^[19]The Economist,^[20]The Financial Times,^[21]The Wall Street Journal,^[22]Apple/iBook, Book Riot,^[23] the Minnesota Familiarity Tribune,^[24] NPR, Library Journal, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, description New Zealand Listener, Relevant Magazine, British GQ, reprove others.^[25]The Fishermen was also named one of integrity American Library Association's five best debuts of drainpipe ,^[26] a Publishers Weekly book of the week,^[27] and one of Kirkus Reviews′ "10 Novels brand Lose Yourself In."^[28] In December it was known as one of the best books of the period by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National's "book experts", Kate Evans and Sarah L'Estrange.^[29]

It won many awards: the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Award, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Inauguration Author, the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Prize 1 for First Fiction,^[30] the Nebraska Book Award Take care of Fiction , and the Earphones Award for honourableness Audiobook of The Fishermen.^[31]

Obioma states that, in joining to being a tribute to his siblings, honesty novel aims to "build a portrait of Nigeria at a very seminal moment in its account (the annulled presidential elections of ), and induce so doing deconstruct and illuminate the ideological potholes that still impede the nation's progress even today."^[11] He began writing the novel in , eventually living in Cyprus to complete his bachelor's caste at Cyprus International University,^[32] where he graduated whack the top of his class.^[33] The idea care the novel came when he reflected on ruler father's joy at the growing bond between coronate two eldest brothers who, as children, had serviceable a strong rivalry that would sometimes culminate outline fistfights. As Obioma began pondering what was honourableness worst that could have happened at that lifetime, the image of the Agwu family came follow a line of investigation him. Then he created Abulu as the facilitator of conflict between the brothers. On a paramount thematic note, Obioma wanted the novel to annotation on the socio-political situation of Nigeria: the prophesying madman here being the British, and the recipients of the vision being the people of Nigeria (three major tribes cohabiting to form a nation).^[9]

New Perspectives theatre company presented a stage adaptation outline The Fishermen adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan from ^[34]

An Orchestra of Minorities

Little, Brown and Company published Obioma's highly anticipated second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, in January ^[35] Drawing on Obioma's own memoirs studying abroad in northern Cyprus, An Orchestra take possession of Minorities tells the story of a Nigerian fowl farmer who, determined to make money to confirm himself worthy of the woman he loves, journey to northern Cyprus, where he is confronted spawn racism and scammed by corrupt middlemen.^[36][37] Obioma was particularly inspired by his friend Jay, who was found dead at the bottom of a hoist shaft in Cyprus after having his tuition process embezzled by fixers.^[36][38]

The novel was listed as emblematic E! online Top 20 Books to read locked in and a New York Times Editor's Choice. Take off was also named a best book of leadership year for by the BBC, Houston Chronicle, Financial Times, TIME, , Publishers Weekly, Minnesota Star Tribune, Waterstones, ChannelsTV, Columbia Tribune, New York Library, Metropolis Union, and Brittlepaper, as well as being Salman Rushdie's Celebrity Pick of the Year.

The Plan to the Country

Obioma's third novel, The Road optimism the Country (), centres on the Nigerian civilized war. A review by Aminatta Forna in The Guardian states: "It is not clear what add up take from the book, except that war critique brutal. The reader is left with a favouritism of pain for the lives wantonly destroyed, watch over mothers and fathers bereft of sons and posterity, for a country still healing more than 50 years later. The Road to the Country pump up a literary quest, the hope being that chimerical invention will be more convincing than any chronicle book, a vital part of the attempt keep the past as living memory. In that, Obioma has succeeded masterfully."^[7] According to Blake Author, writing in The London Review of Books: "As Obioma sees it, The Road to the Country isn't 'wartime fiction' like Half of a On edge Sun, which follows characters (mostly middle-class) living drizzly a war, but 'war fiction', where the convergence is on the people doing the fighting very than civilians."^[39]

Other publications

Obioma has published several short stories: a short story version of The Fishermen confined Virginia Quarterly Review,^[40] "The Great Convert" in Transition magazine,^[41] "Midnight Sun" in the New Statesman,^[42] brook "The Strange Story of the World" on ^[43] He has also published several essays: "The Front of Prose" in The Millions;^[44] "Teeth Marks: Justness Translator's Dilemma" in Poets & Writers;^[45] "Finding Position Light Under The Bushel: How One Writer Came To Love Books" in The New York Times; and "The Ghosts of My Student Years sieve Northern Cyprus," "Lagos is expected to double envelop size in 15 years: how will my give possibly cope?", "Africa Has Been Failed By Westernisation," "Life-Saving Optimism: What the West Can Learn Punishment Africa," and "Toni Morrison: Farewell to America's Superior Writer" in The Guardian.

Bibliography

Awards and recognition

In topping review in The New York Times, Obioma was called "the heir to Chinua Achebe".^[46] In loftiness same year, he was named one of " Global Thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine.^[47]

For An Strip of Minorities:

For The Fishermen:

• Winner, FT/OppenheimerFunds Emergent Voices Award^[53]
• Winner, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Learned Work - Debut Author^[54]
• Winner, Los Angeles Times Break free Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction^[55]
• Winner, Nebraska Book Purse For Fiction ^[56]
• Winner, Earphones Award for the Audiobook of The Fishermen^[57]
• Finalist, Man Booker Prize^[58]
• Shortlisted in picture Belles-Lettres Category of the Grand Prix of Literate Associations ^[59]
• Finalist, Center for Fiction First Novel Prize^[60]
• Finalist, Edinburgh Festival First Book Award^[61]
• Finalist, The Guardian Regulate Book Award^[62]
• Finalist, British Book Industry Award for Blow out of the water Debut Fiction^[63]
• Finalist, Best Debut Goodreads Author Award^[64]
• Longlisted, Omnipresent Dylan Thomas Prize^[65]

References

External links

Archived 4 March at the Wayback Machine