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Teju Cole

テジュ・コール

Teju Cole

Aliases: Obayemi Babajide Adetokunbo Onafuwa
Pen Names: Teju Cole（Used as his public and author name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1975-06-27 （Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.）
Nationality
Nigerian American
Languages
English
Residence History
Lagos, Nigeria → Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S. → New York, U.S. → Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Photographer, Art historian, Essayist, Professor
Active Years
2000-
Affiliations
Harvard University (Gore Vidal Professor of the Practice of Creative Writing), Bard College (Distinguished Writer in Residence)
Influenced By
Various Western and African writers and critics (unspecified)
Influenced
Younger writers in contemporary African and urban-walking literature

Education

Kalamazoo College
Degree: BA
Period: 在学期間不詳
Year of Graduation: 1996
Country: United States
Received bachelor's degree
SOAS, University of London
African art history
Degree: MA
Period: 在学期間不詳
Country: United Kingdom
Studied African art history
Columbia University
Art history (doctoral studies pursued)
Degree: M.Phil / 研究課程
Period: 在学期間不詳
Country: United States
Pursued doctoral work in art history

Awards

Time magazine 'Best Books of the Year'
2011
Work: Open City
Organization: Time
Result: selection
National Book Critics Circle Award (finalist)
2012
Work: Open City
Category: Fiction
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: finalist
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
2012
Work: Open City
Category: Debut Novel
Organization: PEN/Hemingway Foundation
Result: winner
Ondaatje Prize (shortlist)
2012
Work: Open City
Organization: Royal Society of Literature (associated)
Result: shortlist
The Morning News Tournament of Books (finalist)
2012
Work: Open City
Organization: The Morning News
Result: finalist
International Literature Award
2013
Work: Open City (German translation by Christine Richter-Nilsson)
Organization: International Literature Award (Germany)
Result: winner
Windham–Campbell Literature Prize (Fiction)
2015
Work: For body of work (Fiction)
Category: Fiction
Organization: Windham–Campbell Prizes (Yale University)
Result: winner
Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
2018
Work: For creative arts
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: fellowship

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Every Day Is for the Thief

2007 Novella

A novella in which a protagonist returns to Nigeria after years abroad, narrating walks through Lagos and observing everyday life, corruption and social dynamics.

return homeeveryday corruptionurban observation
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages

Open City

2011 Novel (literary fiction)

Follows Julius, a Nigerian immigrant and former graduate student, as he walks around New York City, reflecting on memory, history, identity and encounters with others.

memory of the cityimmigration and assimilationhistory and remembrance
Translations
  • Translated into ten languages, including German translation honored with awards

Known and Strange Things

2016 Essay collection

A collection of essays on photography, art, politics and literature, traversing visual culture and literary criticism.

visual cultureart criticismpublic intellect

Punto d'Ombra / Blind Spot

2016 Photobook / Photography

A photobook collecting photographic works exploring vision, memory and fragments of the city.

visionurban landscapememory

Tremor

2023 Novel

A novel engaging with art history and histories of violence, exploring art, ethics and the traces of violent pasts.

art historyhistory of violenceethics

Bibliography

  • Every Day Is for the Thief (2007)
  • Open City (2011)
  • Known and Strange Things (2016)
  • Punto d'Ombra / Blind Spot (2016/2017)
  • Black Paper: Writing in a Dark Time (2021)
  • Tremor (2023)

Translations of Works

  • German translation of Open City (translated by Christine Richter-Nilsson)
  • Punto d'Ombra (Italian edition)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
visually detailed prosewalking-based montage narrationcalm, contemplative voice
Recurring Motifs
memory and cityscapeimmigrant perspective and identityphotography and visuality

Legacy

Teju Cole is recognized for linking visual culture and literature, influencing contemporary writing through depictions of urban memory and immigrant experience. His cross-disciplinary work in criticism, photography and fiction has earned international awards and influenced younger writers and critics.

Quotes

  • "Among the most gifted writers of his generation."
    Source: Praise by Salman Rushdie (2011)

Trivia

  • Known for popularizing the term 'White Savior Industrial Complex' via tweets and an Atlantic essay.
  • Noted for creative use of Twitter and Instagram as platforms.
  • Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan and raised in Lagos, Nigeria.