PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
2 appearances
-
Edition 37 (2017) Winner
-
Edition 42 (2022) Nominee
Imbolo Mbue
インボロ・ムベ
Imbolo Mbue
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1981 （Limbe, Cameroon）
- Nationality
- Cameroonian, American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Limbe, Cameroon (birth to 1998) → New York City, USA (1998–present)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer
- Active Years
- 1998-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University | — | Business Management | Bachelor's | 1998-2002 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | Graduate School | M.A. | 2002-2006 | United States |
Rutgers University
Business Management
Degree:
Bachelor's
Period:
1998-2002
Year of Graduation:
2002
Country:
United States
Columbia University
Graduate School
Degree:
M.A.
Period:
2002-2006
Year of Graduation:
2006
Country:
United States
Teachers College
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction | Behold the Dreamers | — | PEN/Faulkner Foundation | Winner |
| 2017 | Blue Metropolis Words to Change Award | Behold the Dreamers | — | Blue Metropolis | Winner |
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
2017
Work:
Behold the Dreamers
Organization:
PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result:
Winner
Blue Metropolis Words to Change Award
2017
Work:
Behold the Dreamers
Organization:
Blue Metropolis
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Behold the Dreamers
2016 NovelA story of a Cameroonian immigrant couple pursuing the American Dream in New York amid the financial crisis and complex immigration policies.
ImmigrationAmerican DreamClass disparityFinancial crisis
Translations
- French: Voici venir les rêveurs
- German: Das geträumte Land
Bibliography
- Behold the Dreamers (2016)
- How Beautiful We Were (2021)
- The case for and against love potions (2021, short story)
Translations of Works
- French, German translations etc.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- RealismImmigrant experience-based depictionEmpathetic narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- Struggles of immigrantsIllusions of the American DreamCorporate exploitationEnvironmental destruction
Legacy
Acclaimed for novels based on immigrant experiences, winner of PEN/Faulkner Award, selected for Oprah's Book Club.
Trivia
- Signed a million-dollar deal with Random House in 2014.
- Selected for Oprah Winfrey's Book Club in 2017.