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Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian
“Chika Unigwe is one of the most probing, thought-provoking writers of the recent renaissance in African fiction. Many of these are female, bringing hitherto submerged stories about African women to the fore.”[1]
She was born 1974 in Enugu, Nigeria and currently resides in Belgium. “She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and an MA from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She also holds a PhD from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, having completed a thesis entitled “In the shadow of Ala. Igbo women writing as an act of righting” in 2004.” [2]
When asked if we’re experiencing an African Renaissance, Ugandan author Monica Arac de Nyeko said that we’re definitely experiencing a renaissance and shift as Chika’s new novel ‘On Black Sisters’ Street’ was a complete departure from the norm.[3]
In a New York Times review of “On Black Sisters’ Street”: Unigwe conveys both what is miraculous about the West to foreign eyes and what is awful — how people live and die alone, unmourned, without the sustenance of family and neighbors. [4]
Writer Zukiswa Wanner listed Chika Unigwe as one of her top five African writers for the Guardian[5]
Read her Caine Prize shortlisted story: “Happy Independence Day“.
Bibliography
- Tear Drops, 1993.
- Born in Nigeria, 1995.
- A Rainbow for Dinner, 2003.
- In the Shadow of Ala; Igbo women’s writing as an act of righting. Dissertation, Leiden University, 2004.
- Thinking of Angel, 2005.
- Dreams, 2004.
- The Phoenix, 2007.
- On Black Sisters’ Street, 2009.
- Night Dancer, 2011.
Notes:
- Bernadine Evaristo, “Night Dancer by Chika Unigwe – review”, The Guardian UK, 3 August 2012. [Accessed 31 August 2012] (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/night-dancer-chika-unigwe-review)
- Chika Unigwe, Biography on Official Website, Belgium. [Accessed 20 September 2012] (http://www.chikaunigwe.com)
- Mora Gitaa, “Conversations with Emerging Young ‘African’ Literati at 2009 Story Moja Hay Festival – Kenya”, Moraa Gitaa- Blog Kenya. [Accessed 31 August 2012] (http://www.moraagitaa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=54&limitstart=18)
- Fernanda Eberstadt, “Tales From the Sex Trade’, The New York Times USA, 29 April 2011. [Accessed 20 September 2011] (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/books/review/book-review-on-black-sisters-street-by-chika-unigwe.html?_r=0)
- Zukiswa Wanner, “Zukiswa Wanner’s top five African Writers”, The Guardian UK, 6 September 2012. [Accessed 20 September 2012] (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/06/top-african-writers-zukiswa-wanner)