By Editor
WRITERS and cultural workers across Nigeria and the diaspora have begun salivating as the 11 longlisted books for this year’s The Nigeria Prize for Literature were unveiled to the reading public via the prize organiser’s social media platforms. With the unveiling comes intense activities that will culminate in the book and author that wins the prestigious prize being awarded USD$100,000, sponsored by the gas company, NLNG based in Bonny, Rivers State.
Two past winners – Chika Unigwe (On Black Sisters Street – 2012) and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Season of Crimson Blossom – 2016) are also in the longlist of 11 books and stand a chance to win the premium prize money. The Middle Daughter and When We Were Fireflies are Unigwe and Ibrahim’s respective books for this year’s prize contest.
Also making a big statement as a publisher is Othuke Ominiabohs-led Masobe Books,, which has four titles in the longlist of 11 books. They are The Middle Daughter by Unigwe, The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma, Sanya by Oyin Olugbile, When We Were Fireflies by Ibrahim and Water Baby by Chioma Okereke.
The 11 books in the longlist are New York, My Village (Parresia Publishers) by Uwem Akpan, An Unusual Grief (Cassava Republic Press) by Yewande Omotoso, Fine Dreams (University of Massachusetts Press) by Linda Masi, Leave My Bones in Sanskatoon (Paperworth Books) by Michael Afenfia, The Road to the Country (Masobe Books) by Chigozie Obioma, Sanya (Masobe Books) by Oyin Olugbile and When We Were Fireflies (Masobe Books) by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. Others are This Motherless Land (Narrative Landscape Press) by Nikky May, Water Baby (Masobe Books) by Chioma Okereke, Pretender (11th House Publishers) by Ayo Oyeku and The Middle Daughter (Masobe Books) by Chika Unigwe.
Oyeku (Pretender) is featuring in the prize’s longlist for the second consecutive years, as he was also in the longlist in last year’s children’s literature category with his book, The Magic Jalabiya. He’s in contention with his novel, Pretender.
Interestingly, only two of the 11 writers are based in Nigeria. They are Ibrahim, who shuttles the global literary scene but returns home and Oyeku, who’s based in Ibadan where he makes a living. Akpan (New York, My Village) and Obioma (The Road to the Country) reside and teach in American universities, but have been home this summer to promote their books and have been on reading tours across the country.
The year for fiction is always an interesting one as great books are thrown up for consideration. Winner of the prize in 2021 is a professor of law at Babcock University, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia; she won with her novel, The Son of the House that beat close contenders Obinna Udenwe’s Colours of Hatred and Abi Dare’s The Girl with the Louding Voice.
So, who wins this year’s prize? Those will be the buzzwords in Nigeria’s literary and cultural circles as the community prepares for the Committee for Relevant Art-led Book Party that precedes the prize award event sometime in October.
And as they say, may the best book win!