Contents
Chigozie Obioma
The novelist whose The Fishermen and An Orchestra of Minorities were both shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
The Fishermen · An Orchestra of Minorities
- Born
- 1986
- Birthplace
- Nigeria
More people
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma draws on oral storytelling and Igbo cosmology to tell stories of family, fate and upheaval. His fiction combines intimate lives with larger historical forces.
Early life
Akure
Grew up in a large family in southwestern Nigeria.
Languages
Heard and read stories across Igbo, Yoruba and English.
Career
- 2014
Graduate writing
Completed an MFA at the University of Michigan.
- 2015
Debut novel
Published The Fishermen.
- 2020s
Teaching and writing
Continued fiction alongside university teaching.
Selected work
The Fishermen
Four brothers’ lives are unsettled by a prophecy.
An Orchestra of Minorities
A guardian spirit narrates a poultry farmer’s tragic journey.
The Road to the Country
A novel set during the Nigerian Civil War.
Beyond work
Literary service
Served as a Booker Prize judge in 2021.
Teaching
Has taught creative writing in the United States.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and work — thebookerprizes.com ↗Photo: Larry D. Moore. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
