Chigozie Obioma


Chigozie Obioma is a Nigerian writer. He has been called, in a New York Times book review, "the heir to Chinua Achebe." In 2015, Obioma was named one of "100 Global Thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine. He is best known for writing the novels The Fishermen and An Orchestra of Minorities, both of which were shortlisted for the Booker prize in their respective years of publication, one of only two writers to be so honored, the other being Rohinton Mistry. Between the two books, his work is being translated into thirty languages.

Early life and influences

Of Igbo descent, Obioma was born into a family of 12 children — seven brothers and four sisters – in Akure, in the southwestern part of Nigeria, where he grew up speaking Yoruba, Igbo, and English. As a child, he was fascinated by Greek myths and the British masters, including Shakespeare, John Milton, and John Bunyan. Among African writers, he developed a strong affinity for Wole Soyinka's The Trials of Brother Jero; Cyprian Ekwensi's An African Night's Entertainment; Camara Laye's The African Child; and D. O. Fagunwa's Ògbójú Ọdẹ nínú Igbó Irúnmalẹ̀, which he read in its original Yoruba version. Obioma cites his seminal influences as The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola, for its breadth of imagination; Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, for its enduring grace and heart; The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, both for the power of their prose; and Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe, for its firmness in Igbo culture and philosophy.
Chigozie Obioma currently teaches at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Writing

''The Fishermen''

Obioma's first novel, The Fishermen, was named a best book of the decade by Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National book experts. In addition, The Fishermen was listed as a 2015 New York Times Sunday Book Review Notable Book, a New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor's Choice selection, and a best book of the year for 2015 by The Observer, The Economist, The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, Apple/iBook, Book Riot, the Minnesota Star Tribune, NPR, Library Journal, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the New Zealand Listener, Relevant Magazine, British GQ, and others. The Fishermen was also named one of the American Library Association's five best debuts of spring 2015, a Publishers Weekly book of the week, and one of Kirkus Reviews′ "10 Novels to Lose Yourself In."
Obioma states that, in addition to being a tribute to his siblings, the novel aims to "build a portrait of Nigeria at a very seminal moment in its history, and by so doing deconstruct and illuminate the ideological potholes that still impede the nation’s progress even today." He began writing the novel in 2009, while living in Cyprus to complete his bachelor's degree at Cyprus International University, where he graduated at the top of his class. The idea for the novel came when he reflected on his father's joy at the growing bond between his two eldest brothers who, as children, had maintained a strong rivalry that would sometimes culminate in fistfights. As Obioma began pondering what was the worst that could have happened at that time, the image of the Agwu family came to him. Then he created Abulu as the facilitator of conflict between the brothers. On a larger thematic note, Obioma wanted the novel to comment 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.
Obioma finished the novel during a residency at OMI's Ledig House in 2012, and completed an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan, where he received Hopwood Awards for fiction and poetry.
New Perspectives theatre company presented a stage adaptation of The Fishermen adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan from 2018.

''An Orchestra of Minorities''

published Obioma's highly anticipated second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, in January 2019. Drawing on Obioma's own experiences studying abroad in northern Cyprus, An Orchestra of Minorities tells the story of a Nigerian poultry farmer who, determined to make money to prove himself worthy of the woman he loves, travels to northern Cyprus, where he is confronted by racism and scammed by corrupt middlemen. Obioma was particularly inspired by his friend Jay, who was found dead at the bottom of a lift shaft in Cyprus after having his tuition funds embezzled by fixers.
The novel was listed as an E! online Top 20 Books to read in 2020 and a New York Times Editor's Choice. It was also named a best book of the year for 2019 by the BBC, Houston Chronicle, Financial Times, TIME, Amazon.com, Publisher's Weekly, Minnesota Star Tribune, Waterstones, ChannelsTV, Columbia Tribune, New York Library, Manchester Union, and Brittlepaper, as well as being Salman Rushdie's Celebrity Pick of the Year.

Other publications

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

Awards and honors

For An Orchestra of Minorities:
For The Fishermen: