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Chibundu Onuzo

Summary

Imachibundu Oluwadara Onuzo FRSL (born 1991) is a Nigerian novelist. Her first novel, The Spider King's Daughter, won a Betty Trask Award,[1] was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize[2] and the Commonwealth Book Prize,[3] and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize[4] and the Etisalat Prize for Literature.[5]

Chibundu Onuzo
FRSL
Five speakers sitting on a stage with their names on a screen behind them.
Onuzo in 2019
Born
Imachibundu Oluwadara Onuzo

1991 (age 32–33)
Lagos, Nigeria
Years active2012–
Notable work

Biography edit

Chibundu Onuzo was born in 1991 in Nigeria, the youngest of four children of parents who are doctors, and grew up in Lagos.[6][7] She moved to England when she was 14 to study at an all-girls' school in Winchester, Hampshire, for her GCSEs,[8] and at the age of 17 began writing her first novel, which was signed two years later by Faber and Faber and was published when she was 21.[9][10] She was the youngest female writer ever taken on by the publisher.[11] Reviewing her second book, Welcome to Lagos (2016), Helon Habila wrote in The Guardian: "Onuzo's portrayal of human character is often too optimistic, her view of politics and society too charitable; but her ability to bring her characters to life, including the city of Lagos, perhaps the best-painted character of all, is impressive."[12]

Onuzo received a first-class bachelor's degree in history from King's College London (2012),[13][5] and went on to earn a master's degree in public policy from University College London.[7] She studied for a PhD at King's College London, researching the West African Students' Union.[14][15]

She has written for outlets including The Guardian[16] and NPR,[17] and contributed the short story "Sunita" to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[18]

Onuzo's third novel Sankofa was published in the UK by Virago in June 2021,[19] and was reviewed by The Guardian as "[a]n accomplished novel that explores difference and belonging with a cool intensity".[20] Brittle Paper described it as "a love story, a political history, and a father-daughter drama".[21] Sankofa was published by Catapult in the US and by Narrative Landscape in Nigeria.[22][23]

Bibliography edit

Awards and recognition edit

The Spider King's Daughter won a Betty Trask Award (2013),[24] and in 2012 was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize[25] and the Commonwealth Book Prize.[26] In addition the novel was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize[27] and for the Etisalat Prize for Literature in 2013.[28]

In April 2014 Onuzo was selected for the Hay Festival's Africa39 list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define future trends in African literature.[29]

In June 2018 Onuzo was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative.[30]

At the 2020 American Black Film Festival, the HBO Short Film Competition was won by Dọlápọ̀ Is Fine, for which Onuzo co-wrote the screenplay and which was based on her short story "Sunita".[31][32] The film, which was directed by Joan Iyiola, has also been longlisted for the Bafta British short film award.[33]

References edit

  1. ^ Words, Africa in (10 July 2019). "Event: Chibundu Onuzo's 1991 (13 September)". Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. ^ WalesOnline (18 October 2012). "Dylan Thomas Prize: 'Thunderingly good' shortlist revealed". walesonline. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Focus: The splendour of female narratives". The Sun Nigeria. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. ^ "DON'T DULL!! If You've Not Read Books From These Amazing Nigerian Writers, Then You're Dulling Yourself". Daily Advent Nigeria. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b Barbara Kasumu (12 June 2013). "Author Chibundu Onuzo: 'Don't let anyone tell you that you're too young to contribute'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Chibundu Onuzo | Authors | Faber & Faber". Faber.co.uk. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Chibundu Onuzo: The Spider King's Daughter". Ucl.ac.uk. 30 October 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  8. ^ Chibundu Onuzo, "When I Was Fourteen", Bella Naija, 17 October 2016.
  9. ^ Chibundu Onuzo, "Young, Gifted and Valid", Huff Post UK, 1 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Chibundu Onuzo", Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2017.
  11. ^ Emma Greensmith, "Books: The Spider King's Daughter", Varsity, 24 February 2012.
  12. ^ Habila, Helon (18 January 2017). "Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo review – high hopes, big city". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Chibundu Onuzo on The Spider King's Daughter - King's Alumni Community". Alumni.kcl.ac.uk. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  14. ^ Anita Sethi (1 January 2017). "Chibundu Onuzo: 'I love Lagos, but it is not a place you can romanticise'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Chibundo Onuzo". Georgina Capel Associates Ltd. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  16. ^ Chibundo Onuzo profile at The Guardian.
  17. ^ Onuzo, Chibundu (13 August 2022). "My brother made it in Lagos — and taught me lessons about my life in London". NPR. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  18. ^ Stevenson, John (8 November 2019). "'New Daughters of Africa' by Margaret Busby – A review". Black History 365.
  19. ^ Sankofa. Virago Books. 3 December 2020. ISBN 9780349013121. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  20. ^ Donkor, Michael (19 June 2021). "Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo review – a journey into heritage". The Guardian.
  21. ^ Edoro, Ainehi (22 November 2021). "An Intimate Story of Love and Decolonization: Review of Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  22. ^ Mark Chandler (13 July 2020). "Virago gets third novel from award-winner Onuzo | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  23. ^ Angeline Peterson (27 July 2020). "Get all the Scoop on Chibundu Onuzo's Highly Anticipated Third Novel". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Previous winners of the Betty Trask Prize and Awards", The Society of Authors.
  25. ^ Katie Allen, "Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist announced", The Bookseller, 19 October 2012.
  26. ^ Edoro, Ainehi (6 May 2013). "Meet The African Writers In The Running For The Commonwealth Book Prize". Brittle Paper.
  27. ^ "Desmond Elliott Prize longlist announced", Foyles, 24 April 2012.
  28. ^ "The Inaugural Etisalat Prize for Literature Longslist", Books Live, Sunday Times, 23 December 2013.
  29. ^ Busby, Margaret (10 April 2014). "Africa39: how we chose the writers for Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014". The Guardian.
  30. ^ Flood, Alison (28 June 2018). "Royal Society of Literature admits 40 new fellows to address historical biases". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  31. ^ Amanda N'Duka, "American Black Film Festival Unveils ABFF Award Winners For Virtual Edition", Deadline, August 31, 2020.
  32. ^ WarnerMedia Entertainment, "The Evolution of Self-Acceptance as a Black Woman", Medium, August 19, 2020.
  33. ^ "BAFTA Long List Released". Awardsdaily - The Oscars, the Films and everything in between. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.

External links edit

  • Anita Sethi, "InterviewChibundu Onuzo: 'I love Lagos, but it is not a place you can romanticise'", The Guardian, 1 January 2017.
  • Ben East, "How a dream gave Chibundu Onuzo an idea to write her new novel Welcome to Lagos" The National, 9 January 2017.
  • "Ourselves@Work: Home Is Where The Hustle Is", NPR, 6 July 2022.

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