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Lesley Nneka Arimah

レスリー・ンネカ・アリマ

Lesley Nneka Arimah

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1983-10-13 （London, England, United Kingdom）
Nationality
Nigerian
Languages
English
Residence History
London, England → Nigeria (grew up) → Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Career

Occupations
Writer, Short story writer
Active Years
2010-
Nominations
Caine Prize (2016) — What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (shortlisted), Caine Prize (2017) — Who Will Greet You at Home? (shortlisted), 9mobile Prize for Literature (2018) — What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (shortlisted)

Education

Minnesota State University, Mankato
Creative Writing
Degree: Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Period: 2008–2010
Year of Graduation: 2010
Country: United States
MFA in Creative Writing

Awards

Commonwealth Short Story Prize (Africa)
2015
Work: "Light"
Category: African Region
Organization: Commonwealth Writers
Result: Won
O. Henry Prize
2017
Work: "Glory"
Organization: O. Henry Awards
Result: Won
Kirkus Prize
2017
Work: What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Category: Fiction
Organization: Kirkus Reviews
Result: Won
Caine Prize for African Writing
2019
Work: "Skinned"
Organization: Caine Prize
Result: Won
Nommo Award (Short Story)
2017
Category: Short Story
Organization: Nommo Awards
Result: Won (tied)
Minnesota Book Award
2017
Work: What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Category: Fiction
Organization: Minnesota Book Awards
Result: Won
Young Lions Fiction Award
2018
Work: What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Organization: The New York Public Library
Result: Won
United States Artists Fellowship (Writing)
2019
Organization: United States Artists
Result: Fellow
National Book Foundation – Five Under 35
2017
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Honored

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

2017 Short story collection (magical realism / fabulist)

A debut collection of short stories centered on women protagonists. The book explores themes such as immigration, mother-daughter relationships, poverty, and grief through elements of magical realism and fabulist fiction. The title story imagines a world where pain and loss can be removed via mathematical means, blending realism and fantasy across the collection.

griefmother-daughter relationshipsimmigration and identitymagical realismfemale alienation
Adaptations
  • [Audio (podcast reading)] What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (LeVar Burton Reads) (2017)

Bibliography

  • What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (2017, Riverhead)

Adaptations

  • Short story "What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky" was featured on the LeVar Burton Reads podcast (2017)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, powerful dialoguefabulist / magical realismcondensed plots centered on short fiction
Recurring Motifs
loss and griefmotherhood and family dynamicsimmigrant experience and cultural disjunctionreinterpreting reality through imagination

Legacy

Arimah is acclaimed for her fabulist short fiction that illuminates contemporary Nigerian and immigrant women's experiences. She has won multiple international literary prizes and is widely regarded as a significant emerging voice.

In Popular Culture

  • Her short story was featured on the LeVar Burton Reads podcast, bringing her work into audio/pop culture formats

Quotes

  • "a skillful storyteller who can render entire relationships with just a few lines of dialogue"
    Source: Star Tribune (review) (2017)
  • "a new voice with certain staying power"
    Source: Kirkus Reviews (review) (2017)

Trivia

  • Born in London in 1983; grew up in both Nigeria and the UK.
  • Moved frequently in childhood because her father was in the military.
  • Received an MFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2010.
  • Currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • Official website: www.larimah.com