Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1991) Winner
Niyi Osundare
ニイイ・オスンダレ
Niyi Osundare
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1947-03-12 （Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria）
- Nationality
- Nigerian
- Languages
- English, Yoruba
- Residence History
- Ikere-Ekiti (birthplace) → Ibadan (worked as professor) → New Orleans (University of New Orleans, faculty) → Rindge, New Hampshire (residence after Hurricane Katrina) → Greater Toronto area (studied at York University)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Playwright, Literary critic, Linguist, University professor
- Active Years
- 1981-
- Affiliations
- University of Ibadan (Professor; Head of English), University of New Orleans (Professor), Franklin Pierce College (faculty)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amoye Grammar School | — | — | — | — | Nigeria |
| Christ's School, Ado Ekiti | — | — | — | — | Nigeria |
| University of Ibadan | English | Department of English | BA | — | Nigeria |
| University of Leeds | English Studies | — | MA | — | United Kingdom |
| York University (Canada) | English/Comparative Literature | — | PhD | — | Canada |
Amoye Grammar School
Country:
Nigeria
Christ's School, Ado Ekiti
Country:
Nigeria
University of Ibadan
English
/ Department of English
Degree:
BA
Country:
Nigeria
BA in English
University of Leeds
English Studies
Degree:
MA
Country:
United Kingdom
MA in English
York University (Canada)
English/Comparative Literature
Degree:
PhD
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
Canada
PhD (1979)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| 1989 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| 1994 | Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize | — | — | Association of Nigerian Authors | Winner |
| 1986 | Commonwealth Poetry Prize | The Eye of the Earth | — | Commonwealth Foundation | Winner |
| 1991 | Noma Award for Publishing in Africa | Waiting Laughters | — | Noma Award | Winner |
| 2008 | Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African Poetry | — | — | Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize | Winner |
| 2014 | Nigerian National Order of Merit | — | — | Nigerian National Order of Merit | Recipient |
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
1986
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
1989
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize
1994
Organization:
Association of Nigerian Authors
Result:
Winner
Commonwealth Poetry Prize
1986
Work:
The Eye of the Earth
Organization:
Commonwealth Foundation
Result:
Winner
Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1991
Work:
Waiting Laughters
Organization:
Noma Award
Result:
Winner
Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African Poetry
2008
Organization:
Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize
Result:
Winner
Nigerian National Order of Merit
2014
Organization:
Nigerian National Order of Merit
Result:
Recipient
Awards & Nominations
Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African Poetry
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (2008) Winner
Works
Major Works
Songs from the Marketplace
1983 PoetryEarly collection capturing marketplace voices and everyday life, blending oral tradition rhythms with social critique.
CommunityVoices of everyday lifeSocial critique
The Eye of the Earth
1986 PoetryA landmark collection addressing environmental concerns and social injustice; blends oral traditions with contemporary poetic techniques.
EcologyJusticeOral tradition
Waiting Laughters
1990 PoetryA socially engaged collection that won the Noma Award; notable for combining humor with anger and critique.
Social criticismHumorResistance
Green: Sighs of Our Ailing Planet
2022 PoetryAn eco-poetry collection in the lineage of The Eye of the Earth; issues warnings about climate change and environmental degradation.
EnvironmentClimate changeColonialism and environment
City Without People: The Katrina Poems
2011 PoetryPoems inspired by his experience of Hurricane Katrina, depicting disaster, displacement, and human resilience.
DisasterDisplacementResilience
Bibliography
- Songs from the Marketplace (1983)
- Village Voices (1984)
- The Eye of the Earth (1986)
- A Nib in the Pond (1986)
- Moonsongs (1988)
- Waiting Laughters (1990)
- Niyi Osundare: Selected Poems (1992)
- Midlife (1993)
- Seize the Day (1995)
- Thread in the Loom: Essays on African Literature and Culture (2002)
- The Word is an Egg (2002)
- Pages from the Book of the Sun: New and Selected Poems (2002)
- The State Visit (play, 2002)
- Early Birds: Poems for Junior Secondary (2004)
- Two Plays (2005)
- Tender Moments: Love Poems (2006)
- Days (2007)
- City Without People: The Katrina Poems (2011)
- Random Blues (2011)
- Only If the Road Could Talk (2017)
- Snapsongs: Homegroans and Foreignflares (2021)
- Green: Sighs of Our Ailing Planet (2022)
Adaptations
- Documentary 'The Poets' (2016)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Oral-tradition-influenced, colloquial and musical poetic voiceDirect engagement with political and social issues (protest poetry)Imagistic eco-critical expression
- Recurring Motifs
- Voices of marketplaces and communitiesNature and the environmentResistance and liberationHumor and satire
Legacy
Osundare is one of Nigeria's leading poets, celebrated for blending oral tradition with modern poetics and for his eco-poetic and socially engaged stance. He has received numerous national and international awards and has had a long influence as an educator.
Academic Societies
- Association of Nigerian Authors
In Popular Culture
- Featured in the documentary 'The Poets' (2016)
Trivia
- In 2022 became the first African cover poet for World Poetry magazine.
- Survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and was trapped in an attic for 26 hours.