Today an African literary giant Prof Wole Soyinka celebrates his birthday. Soyinka is considered one of the foremost African poetry, and prose writers. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first African to be honoured in that category. As we celebrate Prof Soyinka’s birthday, we look at some moments in his life in pictures.
After recently winning the Mary McCarthy Award, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has won a French award; Le Grand Prix de l’héroïne Madame Figaro for her latest book Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions . Congratulations on the award.
The Caine Prize for African Writing, described as Africa’s leading literary award this year went to Bushra al-Fadil for his short story entitled “The Story of the Girl Whose Birds Flew Away”, translated by Max Shmookler, published in The Book of Khartoum – A City in Short Fiction (Comma Press, UK. 2016).
The news of the death of luminary Nigerian literary critic, Prof Abiola Irele shook the academic world. The death of Prof Irele is a massive blow to the literary community, not just in Africa but the world. Prof Irele was Africa’s leading literary critic, and he passed away at the age of 81. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Imbolo Mbue is no doubt living the dreams many writers wish for. From a $1 million book deal to winning the PEN/Faulkner Award and now having her book selected by Oprah Winfrey for the Oprah Winfrey Book Club. Ee at TIA can only keep wishing for more opportunities to break the ceiling. Congratulations Imbolo Mbue.
Angolan writer José Eduardo Agualusa won the International Dublin Literary Award worth €100,000 for his novel A General Theory of Oblivion translated from Portuguese to English by Daniel Hahn. The shortlist included Nigerian writer Chinelo Okparanta for her book Under the Udala Tree. Agualusa was on the longlist alongside 147 other writers. We congratulate Agualusa and wish him the best in his literary career.
The Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF) is a week-long hub for publishers, booksellers, writers, schoolchildren and booklovers alike. However, this celebration cannot mask the fact that there are structural problems in the Nigerian publishing infrastructure that go beyond the printing of books.
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie keeps breaking boundaries, winning a special Mary McCarthy award for her thought evoking novels and charismatic public awareness. Adichie was last month conferred with an honorary degree from Haverford College, an institution in Pennsylvania, United States.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is not just a writer sparking conversations on feminism and books, she’s also sparked conversations on hair and racism. This time around, we look at Adichie and how she’s using social media. Recently, she started using Instagram to promote Nigerian fashion.
The Caine Prize for African Writing, currently in its 18th year, released the 2017 shortlist. This year’s shortlist seems to have taken a cue from the 2015 debate over inclusivity and includes a few relatively unknown names. The list includes three Nigerian writers, a South African and a Sudanese.
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