Creative writing in Nigeria in the twenty-first century has so far been abundant and flourishing both in quality and quantity. In fact, the nation’s literary productivity appears to be growing at a rate that is feared to beat statistics. Remarkably, writers have written in response to waves of sociopolitical, cultural and economic events: a fact that has influenced their subject and style revealing a measure of departure from earlier literary practices.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, they say. Therefore, to taste the flavour of
contemporary Nigerian literature, we can start with the following list, which is by no means exhaustive. And then we can all go on to increase our literary appetite and help build the statistics of contemporary Nigerian literature by sending to this link a list of other authors/titles not included here.
PROSE FICTION:
- Teju Cole – Every Day Is for a Thief; Open City
- Biyi Bandele – The Man Who Came from the Back of the Beyond; Burma Boy; The Street
- Helon Habila – Waiting for an Angel; Measuring Time; Oil on Water
- E C Osondu – Voice of America
- Ike Oguine – A Squatter’s Tale
- Uwem Akpan – Say You Are One of Them
- Adaora Nwubani – I Do Not Come to You by Chance
- Chika Unigwe – The Phoenix; On Black Sisters Street; Night Dancer
- Kaine Agary – Yellow Yellow
- Jude Dibia – Walking with Shadow; Unbridled
- Sefi Attah – Everything Good Will Come; Swallow; Lawless; A Bit of Difference
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Purple Hibiscus; Half of a Yellow Sun; The Thing Around Your Neck; Americanah
- Chris Abani – Graceland; Becoming Abigail
- Toni Kan – Nights of the Creaking Bed; Ballad of Rage
- Lola Shoneyin – The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
- Abubakar Adam Ibrahim – The Whispering Trees
- Helen Oyeyemi – The Icarus; The Opposite House; White Is for Witching; Mr Fox
- Emmanuel Iduma – Farad
- Diana Evans – 26a
- Chris Cleave – Little Bee
- Christie Watson – Tiny Sunbirds Far Away
- Kanchana Ugbabe – Soulmates
- Sule Egya – Sterile Sky
- Sade Adeniran – Imagine This
- Akachi Ezeigbo – House of Symbols; Roses and Bullets; Trafficked; Children of the Eagle
- Wale Okediran – Dreams Die at Twilight
- Omo Uwaifo – Fattening House
- John Ageda – God’s Own Country
- Maik Nwosu – Alpha Song; Invisible Chapters
- Promise Okekwe – Groaning Passage
- Bina Nengi-Ilagha – Condolences
- Osayin Bode – The Noble Mistress
- Fola Arthur-Worrey – The Diaries of Mr Michael
- Fidelis Okoro – The Rape of Regina
- Ignatius Nwangwu – The Games That Dons Play
- Chim Newton – Under the Cherry Tree
- Ben Okri – The Famished Road; Star Book; In Arcadia
- Okey Ndibe – Arrows of Rain; Foreign Gods, Inc
- Chinyere Mbulo – Intimate Betrayal; Shattered Inheritance
- Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu – Zahrah the Windseeker
- King Agwu Ude – The Bitter Pill
- Calista Attamah – My Broad Daydream
- Uzodinma Iweala – Beast of No Nation
- Zaynab Alkali – The Descendants
- Isidore Emeka Uzoatu – Vision Impossible
- Segun Afolabi – Goodbye Lucille
- Tanure Ojaide – The Activist
- Abimbola Adunni Adelakun – Under the Brown Rusted Roofs
- Camelius Ukah – When the Wind Blows
- Majovo Amarie – Suspended Destiny
- Odili Ujubuonu – Pregnancy of the Gods; Treasure in the Winds
- Gbenga Ajileye – A Whisper and a Silence
- Nkechi Ogwudu – Second Chance
- Gloria Ernest Samuel – Dear Kelechi
- Bisi Ojediran – A Daughter for Sale
- Griselda Ossai – Anupu the Fair One
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This article was first published on 3rd March 2016
nnenna
Nnenna is an editor and writer at Connect Nigeria. She loves fine art, books and places.
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