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Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

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Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
Born
Adaobi Tricia Obinne Nwaubani

1976 (age 47–48)
Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
OccupationNovelist
Notable workI Do Not Come To You By Chance (2009)
Websiteadaobitricia.com/index.html

Adaobi Tricia Obinne Nwaubani // ⓘ (born 1976) is a Nigerian novelist, humorist, essayist and journalist.[1] Her debut novel, I Do Not Come To You By Chance,[2] won the 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa),[3][4] a Betty Trask First Book award,[5] and was named by The Washington Post as one of the Best Books of 2009.[6] Her debut Young Adult novel, Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree, based on interviews with girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, was published by HarperCollins in September 2018.[7] It won the 2018 Raven Award for Excellence in Arts and Entertainment, was named as one of the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, and is a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2019 selection.[8]

Biography

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Nwaubani was born in Enugu, Nigeria, to Chief Chukwuma Hope Nwaubani and Dame Patricia Uberife Nwaubani on 1 January 1976.[9] Nwaubani was raised by both parents in her hometown Umuahia,[10] Abia State, among the Igbo people. Her family is descended from members of the Nigerian chieftaincy system; her great-grandfather Chief Nwaubani Ogogo Oriaku – the source of her surname – was a famous chief and a trader licensed by the Royal Niger Company in the late 19th century. His goods included slaves.[11]

At the age of 10, she left home to attend boarding school at the Federal Government Girls College Owerri. She studied Psychology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria's premier university.[12] As a teenager, Nwaubani secretly dreamed of becoming a CIA or KGB agent.[12] She earned her first income from winning a writing competition at the age of 13.[13] Her mother is a cousin to Flora Nwapa, the first female African writer to publish a book.[14] In her first year at University, she was a member of the Idia Hall Chess Team, and also a member of the university's (classical music) choir.[15]

Nwaubani was one of the pioneer editorial staff of Nigeria's now defunct NEXT newspapers, established by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede.[16]

I Do Not Come to You by Chance is Nwaubani's debut novel, published in 2009.[17] Set in the world of Nigerian email scams, the book tells the story of a young man, Kingsley, who turns to his Uncle Boniface for help in bailing his family out of poverty. In 2019, Masobe Books earned the rights to publish I Do Not Come to You by Chance in Nigeria.[18]

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani lives in Abuja, Nigeria, where she works as a consultant.[19]

Influences

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Nwaubani has expressed concern over the largely somber tone of African novels.[20] She credits Irish-American writer Frank McCourt's Pulitzer-winning Angela's Ashes with showing her that she could write on serious issues in a humorous tone.[21] She is also a great admirer of British humorist P. G. Wodehouse.[22]

Awards

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  • 2010: Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book (Africa)[23]
  • 2010: Betty Trask First Book Award[24]
  • 2010: Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa finalist[25]
  • 2012: Nigeria Prize for Literature shortlist[26]
  • 2009: The Washington Post Best Books[27]
  • 2018: Recipient of the Raven Award of Excellence for her book "Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree"[28]
  • 2019: Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute Reporting Award[29][30]

Works

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References

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  1. ^ "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". All African Books. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  2. ^ Nwaubani, Adaobi Tricia (2009). I Do Not Come to You by Chance. Hachette UK. ISBN 9780297858720.
  3. ^ "Marié Heese and Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Win the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize – Africa Region Awards". 11 March 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  4. ^ Nwaubani, Adaobi Tricia (7 October 2012). "My degree is better than yours". Premium Times. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  5. ^ "The Betty Trask Prizes and Awards". The Society of Authors. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Best Books of 2009". Washington Post.
  7. ^ admin (9 July 2019). "Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree". Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Nwaubani is 2018 Raven Award winner". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Adaobi Tricia Obinne Nwaubani, Biography". www.mynigeria.com. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Adaobi Nwaubani talks with African Writing Online, many literatures, one voice". african-writing.com.
  11. ^ Nwaubani, Adaobi Tricia (15 July 2018). "My Great Grandfather, the Nigerian Slavetrader". The New Yorker. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  12. ^ a b "About Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani website. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  13. ^ BookBrowse. "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani author biography". BookBrowse.com. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Adaobi Nwaubani talks with African Writing Online [many literatures, one voice]; Interviews". African-writing.com. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". www.adaobitricia.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  16. ^ "Nigeria's 'brown envelope' journalism". BBC News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  17. ^ Banerjee, Neelanjana. "I Do Not Come to You By Chance, by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". Fiction Writers Review. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Masobe books list new authors, books". The Guardian. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Adaobi Nwaubani: Humorous writer, journalist". Daily Newswatch Newspaper. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Nigerian anger over S Africa xenophobic attacks". BBC News. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". Book Series in Order. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  22. ^ "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  23. ^ "Marié Heese and Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani Win the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize - Africa Region Awards". Sunday Times Books LIVE @ Sunday Times Books LIVE. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  24. ^ "The Society of Authors". www.societyofauthors.org. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Adaobi Nwaubani: Humorous writer, journalist – Daily Newswatch Newspaper". Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  26. ^ Sophy (5 September 2012). "Lola Shoneyin, Chika Unigwe and Others Shortlisted for 2012 Nigeria Prize for Literature". Sunday Times Books LIVE @ Sunday Times Books LIVE. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Holiday Guide 2009: Best Books - The Washington Post". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  28. ^ "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani - Pulitzer Center". pulitzercenter.org.
  29. ^ "Award Winners". NYU Journalism. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  30. ^ "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani". NYU Journalism. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
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Reviews
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