Nigeria’s Chigozie Obioma makes Man Booker Prize 2015

The judges of the Man Booker Prize 2015, one of the richest in the world at US$50,000, have announced those who are in the running.

We have one of our own that list of thirteen; Nigerian Chigozie Obioma is in the running for his debut novel The Fishermen which was published by ONE, Pushkin Press. Obioma was born in 1986 in Akure, Nigeria and his short stories have appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review and New Madrid. He was a Fall 2012 OMI Fellow at Ledig House, New York. Also on the longlist is A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James.

The other contenders include;

Author (nationality) – Title (imprint)

• Bill Clegg (US) – Did You Ever Have a Family (Jonathan Cape)
• Anne Enright (Ireland) – The Green Road (Jonathan Cape)
• Marlon James (Jamaica) – A Brief History of Seven Killings (Oneworld Publications)
• Laila Lalami (US) – The Moor’s Account (Periscope, Garnet Publishing)
• Tom McCarthy (UK) – Satin Island (Jonathan Cape)
• Chigozie Obioma (Nigeria) – The Fishermen (ONE, Pushkin Press)
• Andrew O’Hagan (UK) – The Illuminations (Faber & Faber)
• Marilynne Robinson (US) – Lila (Virago)
• Anuradha Roy (India) – Sleeping on Jupiter (MacLehose Press, Quercus)
• Sunjeev Sahota (UK) – The Year of the Runaways (Picador)
• Anna Smaill (New Zealand) – The Chimes (Sceptre)
• Anne Tyler (US) – A Spool of Blue Thread (Chatto & Windus)
• Hanya Yanagihara (US) – A Little Life (Picador)

Speaking about the list, the chair of the 2015 judges, Michael Wood said,

‘We had a great time choosing this list. Discussions weren’t always peaceful, but they were always very friendly. We were lucky in our companions and the submissions were extraordinary. The longlist could have been twice as long, but we’re more than happy with our final choice.”

The last African in the running for the prize was Noviolet Bulawayo and she made it all the way to the shortlist before some cheeky bugger cheated us of literary glory. Let’s hope no one dares pull such a stunt this year… I’m looking you Anuradha Roy…

I am assuming that the judges listened to my heartfelt appeal and therefore put an African on the list. I am right pleased 🙂