Chibundu Onuzo

Chibundu Onuzo was born in 1991 in Nigeria, the youngest of four children of parents who are doctors, and grew up in Lagos.[6][7] She moved to England when she was 14 to study at an all-girls' school in Winchester, Hampshire, for her GCSEs,[8] and at the age of 17 began writing her first novel, which was signed two years later by Faber and Faber and was published when she was 21.[9][10] She was the youngest female writer ever taken on by the publisher.[11] Reviewing her second book, Welcome to Lagos (2016), Helon Habila wrote in The Guardian: "Onuzo's portrayal of human character is often too optimistic, her view of politics and society too charitable; but her ability to bring her characters to life, including the city of Lagos, perhaps the best-painted character of all, is impressive."[12]

Onuzo received a first-class bachelor's degree in history from King's College London (2012),[13][5] and went on to earn a master's degree in public policy from University College London.[7] She studied for a PhD at King's College London, researching the West African Students' Union.[14][15]

She has written for outlets including The Guardian[16] and NPR,[17] and is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[18]

Onuzo's third novel Sankofa was published in the UK by Virago in June 2021,[19] and was reviewed by The Guardian as "[a]n accomplished novel that explores difference and belonging with a cool intensity".[20] Brittle Paper described it as "a love story, a political history, and a father-daughter drama".[21] Sankofa was published by Catapult in the US and by Narrative Landscape in Nigeria.[22][23]

• The Spider King's Daughter (Faber and Faber, 2012)
• Welcome to Lagos (Catapult, 2016)
• Sankofa (Virago, 2021)

The Spider King's Daughter won a Betty Trask Award (2013),[24] and in 2012 was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize[25] and the Commonwealth Book Prize.[26] In addition the novel was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize[27] and for the Etisalat Prize for Literature in 2013.[28]

In April 2014 Onuzo was selected for the Hay Festival's Africa39 list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define future trends in African literature.[29]

In June 2018 Onuzo was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative.[30]

At the 2020 American Black Film Festival, the HBO Short Film Competition was won by Dọlápọ̀ Is Fine, for which Onuzo co-wrote the screenplay and which was based on her short story "Sunita".[31][32] The film, which was directed by Joan Iyiola, has also been longlisted for the Bafta British short film award.[33]

• Anita Sethi, "InterviewChibundu Onuzo: 'I love Lagos, but it is not a place you can romanticise'", The Guardian, 1 January 2017.
• Ben East, "How a dream gave Chibundu Onuzo an idea to write her new novel Welcome to Lagos" The National, 9 January 2017.
• "Ourselves@Work: Home Is Where The Hustle Is", NPR, 6 July 2022.