3 Nigerian Authors Have Been Nominated For The 2019 Women’s Prize For Fiction

The longlist for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction was released a couple days ago, and three brilliant and acclaimed Nigerian authors — Oyinkan Braithwaite, Akwaeke Emezi and Diana Evans — made the cut.

The prestigious prize, formerly the Orange Prize for Fiction, has honoured many great authors since it was launched in 1996, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who won in 2007 for Half of a Yellow Sun. It is a significant career boost and it comes with a £30,000 ($40,000) prize.

Akwaeke Emezi, Diana Evans and Oyinkan Braithwaite

Oyinkan Braithwaite for My Sister, The Serial Killer 

Hilarious and deliciously twisted,  My Sister, The Serial Killer tells the story of the complex relationship between a murderous yet glamorous Lagosian fashion designer and her responsible older sister, who’s always ready with bleach and rubber gloves to help cover up a crime. 

(Photo: Nantygreens)

Akwaeke Emezi for Freshwater 

Emezi’s Freshwater explores the multiple voices of an Igbo god living within a young woman. They also used Igbo cosmology to reveal their experience as a trans African. Their inclusion in the list means it is the first time a non-binary trans author has been included in the Women’s Prize for Fiction. 

(Photo: She Reads With Cats)

Diana Evans for Ordinary People

Evans’ Ordinary People cleverly exposes the melancholy of suburban middle-class black people using celebrity events. The book opens at a party thrown in honor of Barack Obama’s presidential victory, in 2008, and closes in the aftermath of Michael Jackson’s overdose and death.

(Photo: A Novel Idea)