Professor Chris Abani

The Believer article Interview with Chris Abani said

In 1985, the Nigerian writer Chris Abani was arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of masterminding a political coup. The evidence: his first novel, a political thriller written two years earlier, when the novelist was just sixteen years old. Since then, he has been imprisoned twice more, sentenced to death, tortured by electric shock; he has also thwarted assassins, published books of poetry, novels, and won numerous literary awards.
 
Though Abani’s history makes for titillating copy, he should be best-known for his detailed, nuanced, and haunting prose. GraceLand is a sprawling coming-of-age tale that explores the underground world of the slums of Lagos, Nigeria. The author of this beautiful and searing novel, which explores the kidnapping of children for their organs, vigilante justice, civil war, incest, and Elvis-impersonation, is not a world-weary and embittered man. Instead, Mr. Abani is thoughtful and soft-spoken — the parlance of California fusing with his British-Nigerian English.

Chris Abani, Ph.D. is Professor, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Creative Writing, University of California, Riverside.
 
Chris won the PEN Center USA West International Freedom-to-Write Award, USA in 2001, the Prince Claus of the Netherlands International Writing Award, The Netherlands in 2001, the Imbongi Ysizwe Poetry International Award, South Africa in 2002, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in 2005. Read the full list of his awards!
 
He authored Song for Night, Graceland (Today Show Pick January 2005), Becoming Abigail, The Virgin of Flames, Daphne’s Lot, Kalakuta Republic: A Book of Poetry, Hands Washing Water, and Dog Woman, and edited Conduit (Black Goat) and Controlled Decay (Black Goat). Read the full list of his publications!
 
Chris earned his B.A. in English and Literary Studies at Imo State University, Nigeria in 1991, his M.A. in Gender, Society, and Culture at Birkbeck College, UK in 1995, his M.A. in English at the University of Southern California, USA in 2002, and his Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Southern California, USA in 2004.
 
Watch his TED talk Chris Abani: Learning the stories of Africa. Watch Connie Martinson Talks Books: Chris Abani on Graceland. Watch him play jazz. Listen to Chris read Ode to Joy from Kalakuta Republic. Listen to Chris Abani: In Conversation with Richard Wolinsky.
 
Read West Coast kinfolk: in Los Angeles, Chris Abani and Kamau Daaood stand out as strong limbs on the family tree of literature, An Interview with Chris Abani, Today Book Club January selection: “Graceland”, and Chris Abani: The Truthdig Interview.