Top 10 fresh voices in Nigerian Literature
The world has witnessed the genius of such great writers as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Amos Tutuola, Cyprian Ekwensi, Mike Okri, Omolara Ogundipe-Leslie and many others since literary works by Africans first gained global recognition in the late 1950s. Recently, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Helon Habila, Toni Kan among others, seem to have taken the centre […]
The world has witnessed the genius of such great writers as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Amos Tutuola, Cyprian Ekwensi, Mike Okri, Omolara Ogundipe-Leslie and many others since literary works by Africans first gained global recognition in the late 1950s. Recently, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Helon Habila, Toni Kan among others, seem to have taken the centre stage in the development of Nigerian literature. But they are now being swept by a fresh tide of writers, creating a wider arc of literary works.
Richard Ali: Victim of art
Art has a way of leading a writer to a destination previously not envisioned. This is the case with Richard Ali, born in Kano and bred in Jos, Plateau State. His work, ‘City of Memories,’ started as a short story in 2005 then grew into a 9, 000 word piece that finally metamorphosed into a full novel that graced the shelves in 2012.
It is the third quarter of 2014 and this author who co-runs Parresia Publishers Ltd, has promised his readers a different menu – a second work, from another category of literature, a collection of poems he has already titled ‘The Divan.’ He probably has quenched many an appetite with the former, a story of modern Nigeria, but intends to serve another meal that will cause only more hunger. The decades wait, Nigeria and the world too, for this author to render himself, a second time, the victim to yet another of his creations.
Abubakar Adam Ibrahim: Exploring genres
Some beginnings are quiet but soon become a loud bang. Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s first novel, ‘The Quest for Nina,’ was published in August 2008 by Raider Publishing International, New York. It however, appears not to have enjoyed proper circulation. In 2012, he published a collection of short stories. And he did wonders with it – a collection that was shortlisted for the Caine prize. For this journalist who writes for Nigeria’s Sunday Trust, it is from a novel to a short story collection. His writings, especially on the internet, suggest he is not a stint when it comes to exploring the genres even though he may be more comfortable with prose. Still, it appears the years ahead would see him – and perhaps his contemporaries – exploring virtually every face of literature and shocking readers with what they can achieve and impart with words.
Onyeka Nwelue: Blunt
Some artists are loved, some are hated, while others are hated and at the same time revered. Bookshelf leaves this for readers to judge. A controversial young writer, Onyeka Nwelue, is blunt both in his works and on the internet. In his storytelling, he lets his characters spin the tale. At age 16, exploring and enjoying India inspired him to create his first novel, ‘The Abyssinian Boy,’ which was published in 2009. His second book, ‘Burnt,’ was released in 2014. For this author, being a recluse and vulnerable as a child, later shaped his writing with sad experiences driving him to build characters he knew would know no pain. Readers better watch out for this author who may shock with what he can do with characters within the confines of papers.
Jude Dibia: Controversial
This is the first Nigerian author that has dared to write a novel that appears to be pro-gay; titled, ‘Walking with Shadows’ (published in 2005). This is a sensitive issue being debated across the world with the United States of America and some other Western countries breathing down the necks of African nations, especially Nigeria, that recently enacted a law against homosexuality. After this came his two novels, ‘Unbridled’ and ‘Blackbird.’ Although the second (Unbridled) seems to have stirred a little criticism, the first has already branded Dibia a controversial author and one to look out for.
Kaine Agary: Niger-Delta issue
Her first work of fiction ‘Yellow-Yellow,’ earned this author the 2008 Nigerian Prize for Literature (NLNG) Award, among other prizes. Driven by the desire to inform her readers about the Niger-Delta, she spawned a short story which later metamorphosed into a novel. One of her inspirations – apart from the environmental degradation in the region – was discovering the rise in the number of children sired by expatriate fathers they would never know but only remember by the glow of their own skin. Thus, wrapping her story around a pressing Nigerian problem has made Kaine Agary a writer Nigerians and the world may expect to continue to address, through her narrative prowess, the looming matters in the Nigerian society.
Michaela Moye: Poetry in prose
Her debut book, a collection of poetry and short stories, ‘Relieved,’ was published in 2013. A former journalist, her writing has a unique mix of poetry dipped in prose and prose in poetry. This sets her apart as one of those writers who succeed in bringing a new dawn to writing, especially when it happens to have a tremendous impact on a yet-to-emerge generation of writers. She tells every day tales in the Nigerian society with certain finesse, be it in lines or not. Many who appreciate deep thoughts after a mouthful of words would clap their hands as she unveils what she has for the future on fresh pages.
Jumoke Verissimo: Service to country
There seems to be a communal cry in ‘I Am Memory’ (published in 2010) her collection of poems that has already been translated into several languages. It echoes history and history is indispensible. Emotions run deep as she paints the trials of Nigeria and the Niger-Delta fluidly. This poet seems to love and feel at peace with spinning words. Coming naturally, it renders her the opportunity to spill contained emotions, especially as they relate to her country. If Verissimo continues in this way, her lines would hopefully continue to soak the soil of this nation until it yields healthier fruit by the day. Thus, with writers like her, poetry promises to take a tremendous leap forward sooner than later.
Nnedi Okorafor: Weird narrator
A professor of creative writing at Chicago State University, USA, this writer has several works of fiction in the market. These include novels such as ‘Akata Witch,’ ‘Zahrah the Windseeker,’ ‘The Shadow Speaker,’ and ‘Who Fears Death’ among others. She also authored ‘The Elgort,’ her first comic book, and a compilation of short stories titled ‘Kabu Kabu.’ Her writing has been described by ClarkesWorld, a Hugo Award-Winning Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, as “beautiful, relentlessly weird, and utterly engrossing.” Her titles reveal this and her narrative explains it. She appears to have infiltrated a genre many writers in Nigeria have not ventured into with her intensity. Surely, she has a whole lot to offer as the years glide by.
Taiye Selasi: Pieces in the shower
Her walk into fiction writing started in 2007. First, it had been a novella titled ‘The Sex Lives of African Girls’ and then the novel, ‘Ghana Must Go.’ Her narrative is shaped by her life experiences. Sired by a Ghanaian and Nigerian mother, the little pieces of the novel came into place while she was in the shower, and she has never looked back since then. She weaves the past and the present in her book which brings her characters back to Ghana and Nigeria where things unfold. It is no wonder her work is classified under the Travel and Fantasy genre. And to crown it all, the title has more than a catchy ring to it – it is historical. Selasi would have more to talk about in stories that explore continents, with a heavy African flavour, therefore making her an asset to Nigerian literature.
Tolulope Popoola: Speaking to her audience
An accountant turned writer and publisher, her work was termed “ethnic fiction” and “not commercially viable” by publishers, but she wanted to tell her own stories to those who could relate with them. So she started her publishing company and her debut novel, ‘Nothing Comes Close,’ a spin-off of her online fiction series, it was released in 2012. It is an African love story with an intriguing leap into Nigerian history. Her debut shows that she possesses the ability to spoon-feed readers in times to come with more novels that would tell how Africans and Nigerians operate in the field of romance. Since romance is a core angle to story-telling, Popoola holds promise for the future in that genre.
Virtually all the writers here have received a variety of awards, prizes or nominations, for their achievements in literature. They are faces that may not be forgotten in a hurry in the years ahead as they soar in their artistry.