Contents
Ben Okri
The Booker-winning author of The Famished Road, where a spirit-child moves between visible and invisible worlds.
The Famished Road · Songs of Enchantment
- Born
- 15 March 1959
- Birthplace
- Nigeria / United Kingdom
More people
Ben Okri
Ben Okri writes fiction, poetry and essays that connect everyday struggle with myth and imagination. His work resists a strict separation between material and spiritual experience.
Early life
Nigeria and Britain
Spent early childhood in London before returning to Nigeria.
Early writing
Began publishing while young and later studied in Britain.
Career
- 1980
First novel
Published Flowers and Shadows.
- 1980s
London literary work
Worked in broadcasting and publishing while writing.
- 1991
Booker Prize
Won for The Famished Road.
- 2019
Later fiction
Published The Freedom Artist, a novel about imprisonment and resistance.
Selected work
The Famished Road
A spirit-child narrates life in a poor community.
Songs of Enchantment
Continues the world of Azaro.
Infinite Riches
A further novel in the sequence.
Beyond work
Poetry
Writes poems as well as novels and essays.
Public recognition
Received a knighthood for services to literature in 2023.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and work — thebookerprizes.com ↗Photo: Metsavend. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
