Uwem Akpan
Encyclopedia
Uwem Akpan, born May 19, 1971, is a Nigeria
n Jesuit priest and writer. He is the author of Say You’re One of Them (2008), a collection of five stories (each set in a different African country) published by Little, Brown & Company. It won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize
, and was picked by the Oprah Winfrey Book Club on September 17, 2009.
. He joined the Jesuit order
at the age of 19, in 1990 and became a priest on July 19, 2003; he later earned an M.F.A. degree in creative writing
at the University of Michigan
in the United States
. He has also studied theology
at Creighton University
.
Entertainment Weekly
put the book on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Against all odds, the Nigerian priest's searing African stories from 2008 imparted both joy and hope."
In 2009 Oprah Winfrey
recommended a short story collection of U.S.-educated Nigerian Jesuit Fr. Uwem Akpan as her 63rd influential book club selection. Akpan said he was humbled to learn his debut collection of short stories had caught Winfrey's eye. Winfrey said that Akpan's 2008 collection, Say You're One of Them (published by Little, Brown, 2008), "left [her] stunned and profoundly moved." The five short stories give voice to an African child growing up in the face of incredible adversity. Asked if there was a conflict between being a priest and being a writer, he said he liked being both: "Both give me energy. Gaudium et Spes
, a key Vatican II document, makes it very clear that the joys and anguish of the world are the joys and anguish of the Church. The Jesuits have a rich tradition of writing and involvement in social issues."
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...
n Jesuit priest and writer. He is the author of Say You’re One of Them (2008), a collection of five stories (each set in a different African country) published by Little, Brown & Company. It won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers is an initiative by the Commonwealth Foundation to unearth, develop and promote the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth. It's flagship are two literary awards and a website...
, and was picked by the Oprah Winfrey Book Club on September 17, 2009.
Life
He was born in the southern Nigerian village of Ikot Akpan Eda; his parents were teachers. He and his three brothers grew up speaking both English and AnnangAnnang
The Annang is a cultural and ethnic group that lives in the Coastal Southeast Nigeria...
. He joined the Jesuit order
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
at the age of 19, in 1990 and became a priest on July 19, 2003; he later earned an M.F.A. degree in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He has also studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
.
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
put the book on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Against all odds, the Nigerian priest's searing African stories from 2008 imparted both joy and hope."
In 2009 Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
recommended a short story collection of U.S.-educated Nigerian Jesuit Fr. Uwem Akpan as her 63rd influential book club selection. Akpan said he was humbled to learn his debut collection of short stories had caught Winfrey's eye. Winfrey said that Akpan's 2008 collection, Say You're One of Them (published by Little, Brown, 2008), "left [her] stunned and profoundly moved." The five short stories give voice to an African child growing up in the face of incredible adversity. Asked if there was a conflict between being a priest and being a writer, he said he liked being both: "Both give me energy. Gaudium et Spes
Gaudium et Spes
Gaudium et Spes , the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, was one of the four Apostolic Constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council...
, a key Vatican II document, makes it very clear that the joys and anguish of the world are the joys and anguish of the Church. The Jesuits have a rich tradition of writing and involvement in social issues."
External links
- www.UwemAkpan.com, author's official website
- Say You're One of Them, official website (includes excerpt, author bio, etc.).
- "As Africa’s Horrors Rage, Suffer the Little Children", New York Times, review by Janet MaslinJanet MaslinJanet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
, June 27, 2008 - "Unflinching Evil in 'Say You're One of Them'", NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
review by Maureen CorriganMaureen CorriganMaureen Corrigan is an American journalist, author and literary critic. She writes for the "Book World" section of The Washington Post, and is a book critic on the NPR radio program Fresh Air. In 2005, she published a literary memoir, Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in...
, June 19, 2008 - Book Review of "Say You're One of Them", Thinking Faith, reviewed by Isidore Bonabom SJ, a Jesuit priest from Ghana. September 30, 2008
- Book Review of "Say You're One of Them" , Joseph Ngala, Director of People for Peace in Africa (PPA) in Nairobi, Kenya. This review originally was published in Colleagues Home & Abroad Regional News (PPA) on 9 September 2008.