Chris Abani
author profile
born
December 27, 1966
gender
male
place of birth
Nigeria
website
genre
Literature & Fiction
about this author
Christopher Abani (or Chris Abani) is a Nigerian author.
He was a political prisoner in Nigeria at various times during 1985 and 1991. At times he was held in solitary confinement and he was held on death row for some time after being sentenced to death for treason.
He is a Professor at the University of California, Riverside and the recipient of the PEN USA Freedom-to-Write Award, the 2001 Prince Claus Awards, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, a California Book Award, a Hurston-Wright Legacy Award and the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Selections of his poetry appear in the online journal Blackbird.
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avg rating: 3.85
| 851 ratings
| 161 reviews
| 14 distinct works
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1 fan
More books by Chris Abani…
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Graceland by Chris Abani avg rating 3.75 — 388 ratings — published 2005 6 editions |
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Song for Night by Chris Abani avg rating 4.03 — 122 ratings — published 2007 3 editions |
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The Virgin of Flames by Chris Abani avg rating 3.76 — 108 ratings — published 2007 3 editions |
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Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani avg rating 3.67 — 103 ratings — published 2006 2 editions |
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Hands Washing Water by Chris Abani avg rating 4.31 — 26 ratings — published 2006 |
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Kalakuta Republic by Chris Abani avg rating 4.55 — 20 ratings — published 2001 2 editions |
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Daphne's Lot by Chris Abani avg rating 4.17 — 18 ratings — published 2003 |
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Dog Woman by Chris Abani avg rating 4.29 — 14 ratings — published 2004 |
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Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa by Chris Abani, Kamau Brathwaite avg rating 4.75 — 4 ratings — published 2005 |
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Masters of the board: A novel by Chris Abani avg rating 5.00 — 1 rating — published 1985 |
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upcoming events
No scheduled events.
"What I've come to learn is that the world is never saved in grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion, everyday acts of compassion. In South Africa they have a phrase called ubuntu. Ubuntu comes out of a philosophy that says, the only way for me to be human is for you to reflect my humanity back at me. "
— Chris Abani
— Chris Abani
"The question is, how do I balance narratives that are wonderful with narratives of wounds and self-loathing? And this is the difficulty that I face. I am trying to move beyond political rhetoric to a place of ethical questioning. I am asking us to balance the idea of our complete vulnerability with the complete notion of transformation or what is possible."
— Chris Abani
— Chris Abani
"You know, you can steel your heart against any kind of trouble, any kind of horror. But the simple act of kindness from a complete stranger will unstitch you."
— Chris Abani
— Chris Abani
topics mentioning this author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literary Fiction ...: Discussion: Graceland | 33 | 25 | Jul 15, 2009 09:46AM | |
| College Students! : WINNERS for November! | 32 | 99 | 18 days ago, 06:03PM |
