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Chibundu Onuzo

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
Notable work

Biography

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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

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Awards and recognition

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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

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  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.
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