Nwaubani was born in Enugu, Nigeria, to Chief Chukwuma Hope Nwaubani and Dame Patricia Uberife Nwaubani on 1 January 1976.[9] Nwaubani was raised by both parents in her hometown Umuahia,[10]Abia State, among the Igbo people. Her family is descended from members of the Nigerian chieftaincy system; her great-grandfather Chief Nwaubani Ogogo Oriaku - the source of her surname - was a famous chief and a trader licensed by the Royal Niger Company in the late 19th century. His goods included slaves.[11]
At the age of 10, she left home to attend boarding school at the Federal Government Girls College Owerri. She studied Psychology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria's premier university.[12] As a teenager, Nwaubani secretly dreamed of becoming a CIA or KGB agent.[12] She earned her first income from winning a writing competition at the age of 13.[13] Her mother is a cousin to Flora Nwapa, the first female African writer to publish a book.[14] In her first year at University, she was a member of the Idia Hall Chess Team, and also a member of the university's (classical music) choir.[15]
Nwaubani was one of the pioneer editorial staff of Nigeria's now defunct NEXT newspapers, established by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede.[16]
I Do Not Come to You by Chance is Nwaubani's debut novel, published in 2009.[17] Set in the world of Nigerian email scams, the book tells the story of a young man, Kingsley, who turns to his Uncle Boniface for help in bailing his family out of poverty. In 2019, Masobe Books earned the rights to publish I Do Not Come to You by Chance in Nigeria.[18]
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani lives in Abuja, Nigeria, where she works as a consultant.[19]
Influencesedit
Nwaubani has expressed concern over the largely somber tone of African novels.[20] She credits Irish-American writer Frank McCourt's Pulitzer-winning Angela's Ashes with showing her that she could write on serious issues in a humorous tone.[21] She is also a great admirer of British humorist P. G. Wodehouse.[22]
Awardsedit
2010: Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book (Africa)[23]
^"Nigerian anger over S Africa xenophobic attacks". BBC News. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^"Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". Book Series in Order. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^"The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
^"Marié Heese and Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Win the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize - Africa Region Awards". Sunday Times Books LIVE @ Sunday Times Books LIVE. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^"The Society of Authors". www.societyofauthors.org. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^Sophy (5 September 2012). "Lola Shoneyin, Chika Unigwe and Others Shortlisted for 2012 Nigeria Prize for Literature". Sunday Times Books LIVE @ Sunday Times Books LIVE. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
^"Holiday Guide 2009: Best Books - The Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 17 July 2018.