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Uzodinma Iweala

ウゾディンマ・イウェアラ

Uzodinma Iweala

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1982-11-05 （Washington, D.C.）
Nationality
United States, Nigeria
Languages
English
Residence History
Washington, D.C. → New York (Harlem) → Cambridge (Harvard) → Heidelberg (fellowship)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Sociologist, Physician, Filmmaker
Active Years
2005-
Affiliations
The Africa Center (former CEO), Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (fellow), Katë Hamburger Center for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies, University of Heidelberg (fellow), Council on Foreign Relations (fellow)
Memberships
Council on Foreign Relations

Education

St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)
Country: United States
Attended secondary school; exact graduation year not specified
Harvard College
English and American Literature and Language
Degree: A.B.（magna cum laude）
Period: 在学期間 不明
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United States
Won the Hoopes Prize and other undergraduate awards for thesis
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Degree: M.D.（推定）
Year of Graduation: 2011
Country: United States
Completed medical training (2011)

Awards

Young Lions Fiction Award
2006
Work: Beasts of No Nation
Organization: New York Public Library
Result: 受賞
Granta Best of Young American Novelists
2007
Organization: Granta
Result: 選出
Hoopes Prize
2004
Work: Undergraduate thesis (creative)
Organization: Harvard University
Result: 受賞
Dorothy Hicks Lee Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis
2004
Work: Undergraduate thesis (creative)
Organization: Harvard University
Result: 受賞
Eager Prize
2003
Work: Short story
Organization: Harvard University
Result: 受賞
Horman Prize for Excellence in Creative Writing
2003
Organization: Harvard University
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Beasts of No Nation

2005 Novel (war, bildungsroman)

A debut novel depicting the brutality of war through the eyes of a child soldier in an unnamed African country. Originated from the author's creative thesis.

WarChild soldiersViolence and traumaMorality and survival
Adaptations
  • [Film] Beasts of No Nation / Cary Joji Fukunaga (2015)

Our Kind of People

2012 Non-fiction (social issues)

A non-fiction book about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria, based on reporting and interviews that explore social impacts and personal experiences.

HIV/AIDSPublic healthSocial structures

Speak No Evil

2018 Novel (coming-of-age, identity)

A novel following Niru, a Nigerian-American high school senior, and later told from the perspective of his white friend Meredith. It explores race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, mental health, and the complexities of identity in the diaspora.

IdentitySexualityRace and immigrationMental healthPolice brutality

Bibliography

  • Beasts of No Nation (2005)
  • Our Kind of People (2012)
  • Speak No Evil (2018)

Adaptations

  • Beasts of No Nation — film adaptation in 2015 (director: Cary Joji Fukunaga)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise, direct proseSharp observational detailUse of multiple perspectives
Recurring Motifs
Effects of violenceImmigrant and diaspora experienceFamily and generational expectationsFaith and morality

Legacy

Iweala gained international attention with his debut novel, which was adapted into a major film. He has continued to publish socially engaged non-fiction and novels exploring identity, establishing himself as a notable contemporary Nigerian-American writer.

Academic Societies

  • Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (fellow)
  • Council on Foreign Relations (fellow)

In Popular Culture

  • Increased mainstream recognition through the film adaptation of Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Trivia

  • His mother is the prominent economist and international figure Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
  • His college roommate at Harvard was Pete Buttigieg.
  • His debut novel Beasts of No Nation originated from his undergraduate creative thesis.
  • He served as the former CEO of The Africa Center.