Chigozie Obioma

Obioma's first novel, The Fishermen (2015), was named a best book of the decade by Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National book experts.[12] In addition, The Fishermen was listed as a 2015 New York Times Sunday Book Review Notable Book,[13] a New York Times Sunday Book Review Editor's Choice selection,[14] and a best book of the year for 2015 by The Observer (UK),[15] The Economist,[16] The Financial Times,[17] The Wall Street Journal,[18] Apple/iBook, Book Riot,[19] the Minnesota Star Tribune,[20] NPR, Library Journal, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the New Zealand Listener, Relevant Magazine, British GQ, and others.[21] The Fishermen was also named one of the American Library Association's five best debuts of spring 2015,[22] a Publishers Weekly book of the week,[23] and one of Kirkus Reviews′ "10 Novels to Lose Yourself In."[24]

It won several awards: the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Award, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author, the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction,[25] the Nebraska Book Award For Fiction 2016, and the Earphones Award for the Audiobook of The Fishermen.[26]

Obioma states that, in addition to being a tribute to his siblings, the novel aims to "build a portrait of Nigeria at a very seminal moment in its history (the annulled presidential elections of 1993), and by so doing deconstruct and illuminate the ideological potholes that still impede the nation's progress even today."[9] He began writing the novel in 2009, while living in Cyprus to complete his bachelor's degree at Cyprus International University,[27] where he graduated at the top of his class.[28] 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. As Obioma began pondering what was the worst that could have happened at that time, the image of the Agwu family came to him. Then he created Abulu as the facilitator of conflict between the brothers. 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).[7]

Obioma finished the novel during a residency at OMI's Ledig House in 2012,[7] and completed an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan, where he received Hopwood Awards for fiction (2013)[29] and poetry (2014).[30]

New Perspectives theatre company presented a stage adaptation of The Fishermen adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan from 2018.[31]

Little, Brown and Company published Obioma's highly anticipated second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, in January 2019.[32] Drawing on Obioma's own experiences studying abroad in northern Cyprus, An Orchestra of Minorities 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 he is confronted by racism and scammed by corrupt middlemen.[33][34] Obioma 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.[33][35]

The novel was listed as an E! online Top 20 Books to read in 2020 and a The New York Times Editor's Choice. It was also named a best book of the year for 2019 by the BBC, Houston Chronicle, Financial Times, TIME, Amazon.com, Publisher's Weekly, Minnesota Star Tribune, Waterstones, ChannelsTV, Columbia Tribune, New York Library, Manchester Union, and Brittlepaper, as well as being Salman Rushdie's Celebrity Pick of the Year.

Obioma has published several short stories: a short story version of The Fishermen in Virginia Quarterly Review,[36] "The Great Convert" in Transition magazine,[37] "Midnight Sun" in the New Statesman,[38] and "The Strange Story of the World" on Granta.com.[39] He has also published several essays: "The Audacity of Prose" in The Millions;[40] "Teeth Marks: The Translator's Dilemma" in Poets & Writers;[41] "Finding The Light Under The Bushel: How One Writer Came To Love Books" in The New York Times; and "The Ghosts of My Student Years in Northern Cyprus," "Lagos is expected to double in size in 15 years: how will my city possibly cope?", "Africa Has Been Failed By Westernisation," "Life-Saving Optimism: What the West Can Learn From Africa," and "Toni Morrison: Farewell to America's Greatest Writer" in The Guardian.