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
Chibundu Onuzo speaking at The Untold Festival, BBC Broadcasting House, 2019
Born
Imachibundu Oluwadara Onuzo

1991 (age 29–30)
Lagos, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Notable work
The Spider King's Daughter

Biography

Chibundu Onuzo was born in Nigeria in 1991, the youngest of four children of parents who are doctors, and grew up there 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] As of 2017, she is studying for a PhD at King's College London.[14]

She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[15]

Bibliography
  • The Spider King's Daughter (Faber and Faber, 2012)
  • Welcome to Lagos (Faber and Faber, 2016)

Awards and recognition

The Spider King's Daughter won a Betty Trask Award (2013),[16] and in 2012 was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize[17] and the Commonwealth Book Prize.[18] In addition the novel was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize[19] and for the Etisalat Prize for Literature in 2013.[20]

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.[21]

In June 2018 Onuzo was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative.[22]

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".[23][24]

References
  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. 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. "Chibundu Onuzo: The Spider King's Daughter". Ucl.ac.uk. 30 October 2012. 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. Helon Habila, "Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo review – high hopes, big city", The Guardian, 18 January 2017.
  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. "“New Daughters of Africa” by Margaret Busby – A review by John Stevenson", Black History 365, 8 November 2019.
  16. Katie Allen, "Previous winners of the Betty Trask Prize and Awards", The Society of Authors.
  17. "Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist announced", The Bookseller, 19 October 2012.
  18. Ainehi Edoro, "Meet The African Writers In The Running For The Commonwealth Book Prize", Brittle Paper, 6 May 2013.
  19. "Desmond Elliott Prize longlist announced", Foyles, 24 April 2012.
  20. "The Inaugural Etisalat Prize for Literature Longslist", Books Live, Sunday Times, 23 December 2013.
  21. Margaret Busby, "Africa39: how we chose the writers for Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014", The Guardian, 10 April 2014.
  22. Flood, Alison (28 June 2018). "Royal Society of Literature admits 40 new fellows to address historical biases". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  23. Amanda N'Duka, "American Black Film Festival Unveils ABFF Award Winners For Virtual Edition", Deadline, August 31, 2020.
  24. WarnerMedia Entertainment, "The Evolution of Self-Acceptance as a Black Woman", Medium, August 19, 2020.


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