Helen Oyeyemi
Encyclopedia
Helen Olajumoke Oyeyemi (born 10 December 1984) is a British novelist. She was born in Nigeria
and raised in London.
She wrote her first novel, The Icarus Girl, while still at school studying for her A levels at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.
Oyeyemi studied Social and Political Sciences at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
, graduating in 2006. Whilst at Cambridge, two of her plays, Juniper's Whitening and Victimese, were performed by fellow students to critical acclaim and subsequently published by Methuen.
In 2007 Bloomsbury published her second novel, The Opposite House which is inspired by Cuban
mythology
.
Oyeyemi is a lifelong Catholic who has done voluntary work for CAFOD in Kenya.
In 2009 Oyeyemi was recognised as one of the women on Venus Zine’s
“25 under 25” list.
Her third novel, White is for Witching, described as having "roots in Henry James and Edgar Allan Poe" was published by Picador
in May 2009. It was a 2009 Shirley Jackson Award
finalist and won a 2010 Somerset Maugham Award
.
Her fourth novel, Mr Fox, was published by Picador in June 2011.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and raised in London.
She wrote her first novel, The Icarus Girl, while still at school studying for her A levels at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School.
Oyeyemi studied Social and Political Sciences at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, graduating in 2006. Whilst at Cambridge, two of her plays, Juniper's Whitening and Victimese, were performed by fellow students to critical acclaim and subsequently published by Methuen.
In 2007 Bloomsbury published her second novel, The Opposite House which is inspired by Cuban
Culture of Cuba
The culture of Cuba is a complex mixture of different, often contrasting, factors and influences. Cuba is a meeting point of European, African and continental North American cultures; little of the original Amerindian culture survives. Since 1959, the Cuban Revolution has also greatly affected...
mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
.
Oyeyemi is a lifelong Catholic who has done voluntary work for CAFOD in Kenya.
In 2009 Oyeyemi was recognised as one of the women on Venus Zine’s
Venus Zine
Venus Zine is a quarterly internationally circulated magazine covering women in music, film, art, entertainment, literature, fashion, indie culture and DIY culture.Venuszine.com is the daily updated online companion to the magazine...
“25 under 25” list.
Her third novel, White is for Witching, described as having "roots in Henry James and Edgar Allan Poe" was published by Picador
Picador (imprint)
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
in May 2009. It was a 2009 Shirley Jackson Award
Shirley Jackson Award
The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic are presented at Readercon, an annual conference on imaginative...
finalist and won a 2010 Somerset Maugham Award
Somerset Maugham Award
The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each May by the Society of Authors. It is awarded to whom they judge to be the best writer or writers under the age of thirty-five of a book published in the past year. The prize was instituted in 1947 by William Somerset Maugham and thus...
.
Her fourth novel, Mr Fox, was published by Picador in June 2011.
External links
- Profile from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Too Talented to be This Young from the Globe and Mail
- Author Page on PEN American CenterPEN American CenterPEN American Center , founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. The Center has a membership of 3,300 writers, editors, and translators...
website - Author Page on picador.com
- Short Story in New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....