Recently the literary scene in Nigeria was abuzz when the shortlist for the NLNG (Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas) Prize for Literature, worth $100, 000 was announced from a list of 173 books. Eleven authors were listed, which include Chika Unigwe, Ogochukwu Promise, Yejide Kilanko, Ifeoma Okoye, Sefi Atta, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, Elnathan John, Aramide Segun, Mansim Chumah Okafor and Maryam Awaisu. Bookshelf presents a brief of the authors.
Chika Unigwe
This Nigerian-Belgian made the NLNG Prize for Literature list for her 2014 novel, ‘Night Dancer’. One factor that makes her stand-out is the fact that she was a recipient of the 2012 prize for her second novel ‘Fata Morgana’, published in Dutch in 2008 and subsequently released in English with the title ‘On Black Sisters’ Street’. Chika has won other awards, including the 2003 BBC Short Story Competition and a Commonwealth Short Story Competition award. Her first novel, ‘De Feniks’, was published in Dutch in 2005 and is the first book of fiction written by a Flemish author of African origin. This year, she’s one of those slated to judge the Man Booker Prize.
Ogochukwu Promise
With over fifteen novels to her name, Ogochukwu Promise is arguably a strong contender for this year’s NLNG Prize for Literature. She is in the shortlist for his novel, ‘Sorrow’s Joy’. In 2013, she was in the final shortlist, poetry category, for her collection ‘Wild Letters’ and in 2005 on the shortlist of her volume of poetry, ‘Naked Among These Hills’. A multi-talented individual, she is a former participant in the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, a passionate psychologist, playwright, motivational speaker, career advisor, and visual artist. She has also published several motivational books.
Yejide Kilanko
Women certainly have dominated this year’s NLNG Prize for Literature and Yejide Kilanko with her novel ‘Daughters Who Walk This Path’ is not left out. It’s important to note that this is her debut fiction novel. The book has received many good reviews and has stimulated discussions around sexual violence against women. She is a therapist in children’s mental health and her social work practice shaped the work, where she has been involved in sexual abuse cases.
Ifeoma Okoye
The ‘Fourth World’ which earns Ifeoma Okoye her name on the shortlist is her fourth novel. An award-winning author, her first novel, ‘Behind the Clouds’ won the Nigerian Festival of Arts and Culture award and was selected by Spectrum Books as one of the best 25 Nigerian books written over the past 25 years. Also, her second novel, ‘Men Without Ears’, won the Association of Nigerian Authors Best Fiction of the Year Award, and in 1999 her short story ‘Waiting for a Son’ won the African Regional Prize in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition.
Sefi Atta
Her book ‘Everything Good Will Come’ is easily remembered. This year, she makes the NLNG Literary Prize shortlist for her novel ‘A Bit of Difference’. Sefi Atta has several stage and radio plays to her name and proves to be a seasoned writer. In 2005 she won the PEN International David TK Wong Prize, Red Hen Press Short Story award in 2003, the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and several more. Her collection of plays, ‘Sefi Atta: Selected Plays,’ is forthcoming in 2017.
Abubakar Adam Ibrahim
He is a journalist and author of ‘Whispering Trees’, a collection of short stories that received international attention and was longlisted for the inaugural Etisalat Prize for Literature and a story shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing. His debut novel ‘Season of Crimson Blossoms’ is among the shortlist for this year’s NLNG Prize. Certainly, the contest for this year’s NLNG Literary Prize seems tight.
Ifeoluwa Adeniyi
This writer, a radio broadcaster, makes the shortlist with her debut novel, ‘On the Bank of the River’. The title of Ifeoluwa Adeniyi is from a statement made by Okonkwo, the main character in Chinua Achebe’s famous novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’, “I cannot live on the bank of the river and wash my hands with spittle,” poet Jumoke Verissimo wrote in her review of the book.
Elnathan John
A lawyer and writer, Elnathan John made a significant mark when he was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story, ‘Bayan Layi’ in 2013. Now, this same short story, which blossomed into a full-length novel titled ‘Born on a Tuesday’, has been shortlisted for the NLNG prize. This author is known for his skill at satire.
Aramide Segun
She’s a winner of an ANA Prose Prize and makes this year’s list for her novel ‘Eniitan Daughter of Destiny’, about a bronze albino woman in her early 20s. As an adolescent, Aramide Segun read many ‘Cinderella’ type stories.
Maryam Awaisu
A radio presenter, Maryam Awaisu is in the shortlist for her novel ‘Burning Bright’. She wrote her first novel when she was eleven, but it never got published.
Mansim Chumah Okafor
He is author of three works of fiction, one of them ‘The Parable of the Lost Shepherds’ listed for this year’s NLNG Prize for Literature.
