Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ is the 5th Nigerian to be longlisted for a Booker Prize, here are 4 others
Ayobami Adebayo has been longlisted for the Booker Prize, making her the fifth Nigerian to be longlisted. Who are the others?
The Booker Prize is given each year to the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
Authors are nominated for the prize based on their quality and dedication to promoting art and literature.
Originally, the prize was exclusively open to citizens of the Commonwealth, Ireland, South Africa, and later Zimbabwe. However, in 2014, the eligibility criteria were broadened to encompass any novel written in the English language.
Her debut novel in 2017 [Brittlepaper]
Ayobami Adebayo shot into the limelight with her debut novel, ‘Stay With Me’, which won the 9mobile Prize for Literature and the Prix Les Afriques. She was awarded The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts and Culture in 2017. Now she has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize for 2023 and has been longlisted for her latest book, ‘A Spell of Good Things’.
The novel has been described as a “magnificent novel that illuminates Nigeria’s haves and have-nots, as well as the shared humanity that exists in between.”
1. Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe [thoughtco]
Chinua Achebe was a novelist, poet, educator, and critic. He wrote ‘Things Fall Apart’ (1958), largely regarded as his masterpiece, which is the most widely-read work in contemporary African literature. ‘Anthills of the Savannah’, Achebe’s novel, was a finalist for the 1987 Booker Prize for Fiction.
2. Ben Okri
Ben Okri
Ben Okri is a novelist and poet regarded as one of the most famous postmodern African authors.
Okri soared to international prominence after publishing his first novel, ‘Flowers and Shadows’, in 1980. ‘The Famished Road’ earned him the 1991 Booker Prize for literature.
3. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian novelist, short story writer, and nonfiction author. ‘Purple Hibiscus’, Adichie’s debut novel, was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2004.
4. Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma’s ‘The Fishermen’
He is best known for his novels ‘The Fishermen’ (2015) and ‘An Orchestra of Minorities’ (2019), both of which were Booker Prize finalists in their respective years of release.
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