Chris Abani

Abani was born in Afikpo, Nigeria. His father was Igbo, while his mother was of English descent.[1] He published his first novel, Masters of the Board, in 1985 at the age of 16.[2] It was a political thriller, the plot of which was an allegory based on a coup that was carried out in Nigeria just before it was written. He was imprisoned for six months on suspicion of an attempt to overthrow the government.[3] He continued to write after his release from jail, but was imprisoned for one year after the publication of his 1987 novel Sirocco.[4] After he was released from jail this time, he composed several anti-government plays that were performed on the street near government offices for two years. He was imprisoned a third time and was placed on death row.[5] Luckily, his friends had bribed government officials for his release in 1991, and immediately Abani moved to the United Kingdom, living there until 1999.[6] He then moved to the United States, where he now lives.[7]

Abani holds a B.A. in English and Literary Studies from Imo State University, Nigeria; an M.A. in Gender and Culture from Birkbeck College, University of London, an M.A. in English from the University of Southern California; and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California.

Abani has been awarded a PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award, the 2001 Prince Claus Awards, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, a California Book Award, a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award and the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Selections of his poetry appear in the online journal Blackbird. From 2007–2012, he was Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. He is currently a Board of Trustees Professor of English at Northwestern University.[8]

His book of poetry, Sanctificum (Copper Canyon Press, 2010), is a sequence of linked poems, bringing together religious ritual, the Igbo language of his Nigerian homeland, and reggae rhythms in a postracial, liturgical love song.[9]

Abani's foray into publishing has led to the formation of the Black Goat poetry series, which is an imprint of New York-based Akashic Books. [10]Poets Kwame Dawes, Christina Garcia, Kate Durbin, Karen Harryman, Uche Nduka, Percival Everett, Khadijah Queen and Gabriela Jauregui have all been published by Black Goat.[11]

In summer 2016, a broad selection of his works was published in Israel by the small independent publishing house Ra'av under the title "Shi'ur Geografia" (Hebrew for: Geography Lesson) edited by Noga Shevach and the poet Eran Tzelgov. The collection received great reviews and offered Hebrew readers a first encounter with the poetry of Abani.

Novels

• Masters of the Board (Delta, 1985)
• GraceLand (FSG, 2004/Picador 2005)
• The Virgin of Flames (Penguin, 2007)
• The Secret History of Las Vegas (Penguin, 2014)

Novellas

• Becoming Abigail (Akashic Books, 2006)
• Song For Night (Akashic Books, 2007)

Poetry

• Kalakuta Republic (Saqi, 2001).
• Daphne's Lot (Red Hen Press, 2003)
• Dog Woman (Red Hen Press, 2004)
• Hands Washing Water (Copper Canyon Press, 2006)
• There are no names for red (Red Hen Press, 2010)
• Feed me the sun (Peepal Tree Press, 2010)
• Sanctificum (Copper Canyon Press, 2010)

Essays

• The Face (Restless Books, 2014)

2001

• PEN USA West Freedom-to-Write Award, US[12]
• Prince Claus Awards.[13]
• Middleton Fellowship, University of Southern California, US[14]

2002

• Imbongi Yesizwe Poetry International Award, South Africa.[15]

2003

• Lannan Foundation Literary Fellowship, US[16]
• Hellman/Hammet Grant from Human Rights Watch, US[17]

2005

• Winner, Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. (GraceLand)[18]
• Winner, Hurston-Wright Legacy Award (GraceLand)[19]
• Silver Medal, California Book Award for Fiction (GraceLand)[20]
• Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction (GraceLand)[21]
• Finalist, Commonwealth Writers Prize, Best Books (Africa Region)(GraceLand)[22]
• Pushcart Nomination for Blooding. StoryQuarterly.[23]

2006

• A New York Times Editor's Choice (Becoming Abigail)[24]
• A Chicago Reader Critic's Choice (Becoming Abigail)[25]
• A selection of the Essence Magazine Book Club (Becoming Abigail)[26]
• A selection of the Black Expressions Book Club (Becoming Abigail)[27]
• Pushcart Nomination (poetry) (A Way To Turn This To Light)[28]
• Shortlisted for International Dublin Literary Award (GraceLand).[29]

2007

• The New York Times Editor's Choice (Song for Night)[30]
• Finalist, PEN/Beyond Margins Award (Becoming Abigail)[31]
• A Barnes & Noble Discovery Selection (The Virgin of Flames)[32]
• A New York Times Editor's Choice (The Virgin of Flames)[33]
• A New York Libraries Books For Teens Selection (Becoming Abigail)[34]

2008

• Winner, PEN/Beyond Margins Award for Song For Night[35]
• Nominated for Lamada Award (The Virgin of Flames)[36]
• Recipient, Distinguished Humanist Award (UC, Riverside)[37]
• 2007 Pushcart Nomination for Sanctificum (poetry)[38]

2009

• Guggenheim Fellow in Fiction

• List of people from Ebonyi State
• List of TED speakers

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Chris Abani

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Abani.

• Official website
• The Chris Abani Bibliography
• Poems in Blackbird
• Poems in Narrative Magazine
• Biography from the International Literature Festival Berlin
• Chris Abani by Colm Tóibín Bomb
• Chris Abani at TED
  • Telling stories from Africa (TEDGlobal 2007)
  • On humanity (TED2008)