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Ben Okri

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description Ben Okri Overview

Ben Okri, born in 1959 in Minna, Nigeria, is a poet and novelist whose fiction blends magical realism with African mythological and oral storytelling traditions. He won the 1991 Booker Prize for Fiction for The Famished Road, the first book in a trilogy continued by Songs of Enchantment (1993) and Infinite Riches (1998). He has also published collections of poetry, essays, and short stories drawing on his childhood in Nigeria and his experiences during and after the Nigerian Civil War. He is among the most internationally recognized African writers of his generation.

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Which Ben Okri novel won the Booker Prize?

Ben Okri won the 1991 Booker Prize for Fiction for The Famished Road, a novel narrated by an abiku—a spirit child in Yoruba mythology who cycles between the living and spirit worlds. The novel beat out shortlisted titles by authors including Rohinton Mistry and Tim Pears.

What books make up the Famished Road trilogy?

The Famished Road trilogy consists of The Famished Road (1991), Songs of Enchantment (1993), and Infinite Riches (1998). All three follow the spirit child Azaro and his family in an unnamed African city that closely resembles Lagos.

Is Ben Okri Nigerian or British?

Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, Nigeria, and is Nigerian by birth, though he has lived much of his adult life in London. He spent part of his childhood in Lagos before moving to England as a child, then returned to Nigeria as a teenager before settling in the UK.

What other books has Ben Okri written besides The Famished Road?

Okri's other notable works include his debut novel Flowers and Shadows (1980), The Landscapes Within, and the poetry collection An African Elegy. He has also published short fiction collections such as Stars of the New Curfew and essays on art and storytelling.