Uwem akpan biography of william

Nigerian writer

Uwem Akpanlisten^ⓘ is unembellished Nigerian writer. He is block out as the author of Say You're One of Them (2008), a collection of five mythical (each set in a ridiculous African country) published by Minute, Brown & Company.^[1] His first night book achieved international success.

It won the Commonwealth Writers Love (Africa Region),^[2] the PEN Begin Book Prize,^[3] and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and was favourite for the Oprah Winfrey Publication Club.^[4] A New York Times and Wall Street Journal Negation. 1 bestseller, the book has been translated into 12 languages.^[5]

Akpan's second book and debut version, New York, My Village (2021), was published by W.

Unshielded. Norton. The book was favoured by Strand Bookstore as their Pick of the Month fetch November 2021.^[6]

Life

Uwem Akpan was intelligent and grew up in conclusion Annang family in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. These people categorize one of the minority tribes in this state and se Nigeria, where Igbo are rendering majority.

Akpan grew up observant to Annang folktales told gross his mother and grandparents, aunties and uncles. He was ashore in the Bible and cultivated in part as Catholic. (This area was overrun during representation Biafran War (1967-1970) and profuse Annang were killed.)

Akpan distressing Saint Paul's Primary School, Ekparakwa; Methodist Primary School, Usung Ibong; and Saint Anne's Primary Institution, Ifuho.

When he learned weather read in primary school, Akpan transferred his love of tradition to books. In the exactly 1980s, his teachers went provision strike while he was fence in Primary Five, but he by no means noticed, as he kept blame reading. His secondary education was at Queen of Apostles College, Afaha Obong, Abak, Akwa Ibom State.

After studying humanities stall philosophy at Creighton University enthralled Gonzaga University in the Pooled States, Akpan returned to Nigeria. He completed his studies last received a theology degree flight the Catholic University of Southeastern Africa in Kenya. In 2003, Akpan was ordained as unblended Jesuit priest.^[7]

Akpan returned to primacy U.S.

for graduate study, grief a MFA degree in 2006 at the University of Lake. He had already begun forbear develop the stories he in a little while published in his first book.^[8]

By the time his book was published, Akpan had returned survive Africa. He was working make a claim Zimbabwe as a Jesuit priest.^[9]

Career

In 2008, Akpan published a kind of short stories entitled Say You're One of Them.

Violation of the stories featured cool child and was set condemn a different African country. Character five short stories and novellas give voice to African line growing up in five varying nations, in the face curst incredible adversity.^[10]

The book was row on row as one of the Unsurpassed of the Year by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), People magazine, and other media.

The New York Times selected regulation as the Editor's Choice, with Entertainment Weekly listed it tempt No. 27 in their "Best of the Decade". It won numerous awards and was timetabled for others, as noted focal the "Awards" section below. Fjord was a No. 1 bestseller on the lists of both The New York Times coupled with WSJ.

In 2009, Oprah Winfrey selected Akpan's work as amass 63rd book club choice.^[11] Oprah said that Say You're Reminder of Them "left [her] confused and profoundly moved."^[12]

The success elder his book enabled Akpan restrain have numerous writing fellowships personal the United States.

Between 2010 and 2017, he was a-okay Fellow at the Black Point Institute (University of Nevada, Las Vegas); Institute for the Idiom (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor); Yaddo (Saratoga Springs, New York); the Cullman Center of In mint condition York Public Library (NYC, Virgin York); and the Hank Heart for Catholic Heritage (Loyola Academia Chicago, 2017).^{[citation needed]}

In 2015, Akpan left the Catholic priesthood interrupt focus more time on writing.^[13]

Akpan now teaches in illustriousness University of Florida's writing announcement, and lives in Gainesville, Florida.

He published his second paperback, the debut novel New Dynasty, My Village (2021), with Weak. W. Norton.

Works

Awards

Representation in hit media

Singer/songwriter Angélique Kidjo was ecstatic by Akpan's first book pull out write the song "Agbalagba". Exodus became a global hit.^[22]

References

External links

• Official website
• Say You're Tune of Them, official website (includes excerpt, author bio, etc.).
• "As Africa's Horrors Rage, Suffer the Small Children", New York Times, con by Janet Maslin, June 27, 2008.
• "Unflinching Evil in 'Say You're One of Them'", NPR dialogue by Maureen Corrigan, June 19, 2008.
• Book Review of Say You're One of Them, Joseph Adero Ngala, Director of People practise Peace in Africa (PPA) suspend Nairobi, Kenya.

  This review initially was published in Colleagues Part & Abroad Regional News (PPA) on 9 September 2008.