For the second time, Chigozie Obioma, whose 2015 first novel, The Fishermen, was shortlisted for The Booker Prize, is again on this year’s shortlist o
For the second time, Chigozie Obioma, whose 2015 first novel, The Fishermen, was shortlisted for The Booker Prize, is again on this year’s shortlist of six novels with his second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities.
The other novels on the shortlist announced in London this afternoon include Quichotte by Salman Rusdie; The Testament by Margaret Atwood; Ducks by Lucy Ellmann; Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo; and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak.
The winner of this prestigious prize will be announced on 14 October at the Guildhall in London.
Born 1986, Chigozie Obioma a writer and assistant professor of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been described by many as “the heir to Chinua Achebe.” In 2015, he was named one of “100 Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy magazine.
Obioma’s first novel, The Fishermen, is being translated into 27 languages and has received several awards. In addition to being listed as a 2015 New York Times Sunday Book Review Notable Book and a New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor’s Choice selection, The Fishermen was named a best book of the year for 2015 by The Observer (UK), The Economist, The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, Apple/iBook, Book Riot, the Minnesota Star Tribune, NPR, Library Journal, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the New Zealand Listener, Relevant Magazine, British GQ, and others.
The Fishermen was also named of the American Library Association‘s five best debuts of spring 2015, a Publishers Weekly book of the week, and one of Kirkus Reviews′ “10 Novels to Lose Yourself In.”
He began writing the novel in 2009, while living in Cyprus to complete his bachelor’s degree at Cyprus International University where he graduated at the top of his class. The idea for the novel came when he reflected on his father’s joy at the growing bond between his two eldest brothers who, as children, had maintained a strong rivalry that would sometimes culminate in fistfights.
On a larger thematic note, Obioma wanted the novel to comment on the socio-political situation of Nigeria: the prophesying madman here being the British, and the recipients of the vision being the people of Nigeria (three major tribes cohabiting to form a nation).
Obioma finished the novel during a residency at OMI’s Ledig House in 2012, and completed an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan, where he received Hopwood Awards for fiction (2013) and poetry (2014).
Obioma’s short story version of The Fishermen and a poem, “The Road to the Country,” appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review. His short story, “The Great Convert,” was published in Transition magazine and “Midnight Sun” appeared in the New Statesman. He has also published several essays: “The Audacity of Prose” in The Millions;[22] “Teeth Marks: The Translator’s Dilemma in Poets & Writers; “The Ghosts of My Student Years in Northern Cyprus” and “Lagos is expected to double in size in 15 years: how will my city possibly cope?” in The Guardian.
Little, Brown and Company published Obioma’s highly anticipated second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, in January 2019. An Orchestra of Minorities, which tells the story of a Nigerian poultry farmer who, determined to make money to prove himself worthy of the woman he loves, travels to northern Cyprus, where is confronted by racism and scammed by corrupt middlemen, is based on Obioma’s own experiences studying abroad in northern Cyprus.He was particularly inspired by his friend Jay, who was found dead at the bottom of a lift shaft in Cyprus after having his tuition funds embezzled by fixers.
