Belgian based Nigerian writer, Chika Unigwe won this year’s edition of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) literary prize. The award, with a $100,000 prize attached to it, is Nigeria’s biggest literary prize. It honours Nigerians who author the best book within the last four years irrespective place of residence.
The NLNG literary prize alternate between four literary categories – prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. This year’s competition was based on Prose Fiction.
The Nigerian-Belgian was announced the winner of the literary award that took place at Ocean View Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos. Her book, “On Black Sisters Street” was nominated among the three top books in which she was finally chosen as the winner. The other two entrances were Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter by Ngozi Achebe and Only a Canvas by Olusola Olugbesan.
Born in Enugu Nigeria, Chika studied English Language and Literature at University of Nigeria Nsukka where she graduated with a Bachelor Degree.
In 1995, she emigrated to Belgium with her Belgian Husband. While in Belgium, she studied at the Catholic University of Leuven for her MA. On acquiring her master degree, she went for a Ph.D in Literature at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands
Chika Unigwe writes in English and Dutch. Her work includes fiction books, short stories, poems and articles. She has published in several anthologies, journals and magazines.
In 2007, she was elected as the first foreign-born councillor of Turnhout, Belgium where she lives with her Belgian husband and their four children.
ALSO SEE: Meet The African Writer: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Below is a list of some of the writers work;
FICTION
- A Rainbow For Dinner – London: Macmillan, 2003.
- Ije at School – London: Macmillan, 2003.
- De Feniks – Amsterdam/Antwerp: Meulenhoff/Manteau, 2005.
- The Phoenix – Lagos: Farafina, 2007.
- Fata Morgana – Amsterdam/Antwerp: Meulenhoff/Manteau, 2007.
- On Black Sisters’ Street – London: Jonathan Cape, 2009.
- Nachtdanser – Antwerp: De Bezige Bij, 2011.
To see a list of all her work which includes fiction, anthropologies, poetries and articles, visit her website: www.chikaunigwe.com.