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Chris Abani

クリス・アバニ

Kurisu Abani

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1966-12-27 （Afikpo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria）
Nationality
Nigerian, American
Languages
English, Igbo
Religion
Roman Catholic
Residence History
Nigeria (birth and childhood) → United Kingdom (1991–1999) → United States (1999–present)

Career

Occupations
Author, Poet, Professor
Active Years
1985-2025
Affiliations
Northwestern University (Director, Program of African Studies), Northwestern University (Board of Trustees Professor of English), University of California, Riverside (Professor of Creative Writing, 2007–2012)
Influenced By
Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka
Influenced
Influenced a generation of younger Nigerian writers and poets
Nominations
International Dublin Literary Award (GraceLand) — Shortlist, Los Angeles Times Book Prize (GraceLand) — Finalist, Commonwealth Writers Prize (GraceLand) — Africa Region Finalist

Education

Imo State University
English and Literary Studies / Department of English
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1980年代
Country: Nigeria
BA in English and Literary Studies
Birkbeck College, University of London
Gender and Culture
Degree: M.A.
Period: 1990年代
Country: United Kingdom
MA in Gender and Culture
University of Southern California
English / Creative Writing and Literature
Degree: M.A./Ph.D.
Period: 2000年代
Country: United States
MA in English and PhD in Creative Writing and Literature

Awards

PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
2005
Work: GraceLand
Category: デビュー小説
Organization: PEN America
Result: Winner
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Debut Novel)
2005
Work: GraceLand
Category: デビュー小説
Organization: Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result: Winner
California Book Award (Fiction) Silver Medal
2005
Work: GraceLand
Category: フィクション
Organization: California Book Awards
Result: Silver Medal
Prince Claus Award
2001
Category: 文学・文化
Organization: Prince Claus Fund
Result: Recipient
Lannan Literary Fellowship
2003
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: Fellowship
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Paperback Original
2015
Work: The Secret History of Las Vegas
Category: ペーパーバックオリジナル
Organization: Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Awards)
Result: Winner
Guggenheim Fellowship (Fiction)
2009
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: Fellow
PEN/Beyond Margins Award
2008
Work: Song For Night
Organization: PEN America
Result: Winner
PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award
2001
Organization: PEN
Result: Recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Masters of the Board

1985 Novel (political thriller)

Early novel published at age 16; a political thriller allegorizing a coup in Nigeria.

PoliticsPower and violence

GraceLand

2004 Novel (literary fiction)

A novel following a young Nigerian man, exploring poverty, pop culture and violence; one of his internationally acclaimed works.

UrbanizationPovertyIdentity
Translations

Becoming Abigail

2006 Novella

A novella dealing with family, escape and cycles of violence.

EscapeFamilyViolence

The Secret History of Las Vegas

2014 Crime novel

A crime novel set in Las Vegas, exploring complex characters, violence and redemption.

CrimeViolenceRedemption

Sanctificum

2010 Poetry

A sequence of linked poems combining religious ritual, the Igbo language and reggae rhythms.

ReligionCultureLanguage

Smoking the Bible

2022 Poetry

A recent poetry collection addressing religious, political themes and personal memory.

FaithMemoryPolitics

Bibliography

  • Masters of the Board (1985)
  • Kalakuta Republic (2001)
  • Daphne's Lot (2003)
  • Dog Woman (2004)
  • GraceLand (2004)
  • Hands Washing Water (2006)
  • Becoming Abigail (2006)
  • Song For Night (2007)
  • The Virgin of Flames (2007)
  • Sanctificum (2010)
  • The Secret History of Las Vegas (2014)
  • The Face (essays, 2014)
  • Smoking the Bible (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Lyrical yet political narrative voicePoetic use of ritual and mixed languages
Recurring Motifs
Violence and recoveryMigration and diasporaReligion and ritual

Health

  • Post-traumatic stress (related to torture) (estimated)
    1980年代–1990年代（拘禁・拷問の経験）
    Imprisonment and torture in his youth are reported to have had a deep influence on his later writing and themes.

Legacy

Chris Abani is an internationally recognized Nigerian-born writer whose poetry, novels and essays explore migration, violence and religion. As an educator he has influenced younger writers and contributed to poetry publishing and mentorship.

Academic Societies

  • Northwestern University Program of African Studies

In Popular Culture

  • Poem 'Ode to Joy' displayed on a wall in Leiden, Netherlands, among other public appearances.

Trivia

  • Published his first novel, Masters of the Board, at age 16.
  • Was imprisoned multiple times and reportedly tortured in his youth.
  • Has won international awards in both poetry and fiction.