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Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin is a Nigerian novelist, poet, children's author, and literary-festival director. She is best known for her 2010 debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, and institutional biographies identify her as director of the Aké Arts and Book Festival.
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About Lola Shoneyin
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Nigeria · Writer, Novelist, Poet · 2 affiliations
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- Writer
- Novelist
- Poet
- Children's author
- Literary-festival director
At a glance
- Shoneyin's debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, was published in 2010.
- The novel was longlisted for the 2011 Women's Prize for Fiction and won the 2011 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award.
- Institutional biographies identify Shoneyin as director of the Aké Arts and Book Festival.
- Her published work spans fiction, poetry, and children's literature.
Background and education
A University of Iowa International Writing Program record states that Shoneyin was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1974. It also records that she earned a BA (Honours) in English from Ogun State University and an MA in literature from the University of Ibadan. The same record documents her participation in the International Writing Program in 1999.
Writing across literary forms
Shoneyin's publishing career includes poetry, children's literature, and fiction. Her first poetry collection, So All the Time I Was Sitting on an Egg, appeared in 1998. PEN America also lists the poetry collections Song of a Riverbird and For the Love of Flight, along with the children's books Mayowa and the Masquerades and Iyaji, the Housegirl.
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives
Shoneyin's debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, was published in 2010. It was longlisted for the 2011 Women's Prize for Fiction, then known as the Orange Prize for Fiction, and won the 2011 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. A stage adaptation by Rotimi Babatunde was published by Bloomsbury in 2018.
Literary institutions and publishing
Alongside her writing, Shoneyin has held prominent roles in Nigeria's literary infrastructure. Sources identify her as director of the Aké Arts and Book Festival and the Book Buzz Foundation. A British Council report states that she founded the Lagos-based publisher Ouida Books in 2016, although the reviewed evidence does not establish her current operational role there.
Wider literary recognition
In 2014, Shoneyin was included in Hay Festival's Africa39 selection, which recognized 39 writers from Sub-Saharan Africa and the diaspora who were under 40. The selection added to the recognition associated with her novel and her broader contribution to Nigerian literature.
Affiliations
- Aké Arts and Book Festival Director present
- Book Buzz Foundation Director present
Timeline
- Publication of Shoneyin's first poetry collection, So All the Time I Was Sitting on an Egg.
- Participation in the University of Iowa International Writing Program.
- Publication of Shoneyin's debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.
- The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and won the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award.
- Inclusion in Hay Festival's Africa39 selection.
- Founding of Ouida Books in Lagos, according to a British Council report.
- Bloomsbury published Rotimi Babatunde's stage adaptation of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives.
Additional verified details
Current context
- Publisher and PEN America biographies identify Shoneyin as director of the Aké Arts and Book Festival. The sources' current biographical wording supports the role as of the observation date but does not specify its start date or contractual term.
- Aké Arts and Book Festival materials identify Shoneyin as director of the Book Buzz Foundation. The source identifies the role but does not specify its start date or term.
Biographical facts
- A University of Iowa International Writing Program record states that Shoneyin was born in 1974 in Ibadan, Nigeria.
- The University of Iowa record states that she holds a BA (Honours) in English from Ogun State University and an MA in literature from the University of Ibadan.
- PEN America lists Shoneyin's published work as including three poetry books and the children's books Mayowa and the Masquerades and Iyaji, the Housegirl.
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