Abi Daré

Abi Daré
Daré in 2022
Born	Abimbola Daré Lagos, Nigeria
Occupation	Author
Nationality	Nigerian
Education	University of Wolverhampton Glasgow Caledonian University
Genre	Fiction, young adult
Years active	2018–present
Notable works	The Girl with the Louding Voice (2020)

Abimbola "Abi" Daré is a Nigerian author and public speaker who now lives in Essex, England.[1] In 2018 she won the Bath Novel Award,[2][3] and was a finalist in the Literary Consultancy Pen Factor 2018.[4] Her debut novel The Girl With The Louding Voice was published in 2020 to critical acclaim.

Biography

Daré grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, attending the Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls,[5] and moved to the UK for her higher education.[3] Her mother Teju Somorin was the first female professor of taxation in Nigeria.[6]

Daré has a degree in law from the University of Wolverhampton, a Masters in International project management, graduating as best performing student from Glasgow Caledonian University and a Masters with distinction in creative writing from Birkbeck.[7]

Career

She has said she began writing fiction on a blog and was the editor of her church magazine.[3] Daré works overseeing app development for a publishing firm.[1][8]

In 2022, Abi was appointed as External Board Member at the BiC Corporate Foundation.[9]

In March 2023, Abi delivered the keynote address at The Social Enterprise Conference at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.[10]

The Girl with the Louding Voice

Daré's debut novel The Girl with the Louding Voice is a story about a teenage Nigerian girl called Adunni who becomes a maid and struggles with many things growing up, including her limited education, poverty and her ability to speak up for herself.[8]

The book became a New York Times Bestseller and is a Read with Jenna choice[11] and a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime pick.[12] Published by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder, it was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for first time novelists.[13] Daré was included in The Observer's list of 10 Best Debut Novelists of 2020.[1]

The novel has been translated into over 19 languages.

References

1. The Observer (26 January 2020). "Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2020". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
2. BellaNaija (14 September 2018). "Nigerian Author Abimbola Dare Wins the 2018 Bath Novel Award". BellaNaija. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
3. Dare, Abi (23 September 2018). "Interview: ABI DARÈ, winner of the Bath Novel Award 2018". The Bath Novel Awards (Interview). Interviewed by Carolin Ambrose. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
4. "Abi Daré". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
5. "Guest Author – Abimbola Dare: The Small Print". Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
6. Daré, Abi (2020). The Girl With The Louding Voice. Great Britain: Sceptre.
7. "Abi Daré | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
8. León, Concepción de (1 February 2020). "For Her Debut, Abi Daré Confronts 'Dreams and Intelligence That We Kill'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
9. "The BiC corporate foundation". BiC. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
10. Lia Parker-Belfer, Marc Alain Boucicault, Nora Jendoubi & Shivika Bhasin (21 March 2023). "SECON 2023: Back in person to discuss the power of narratives for social impact". Harvard Business School. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
11. "Read with Jenna: The Girl with the Louding Voice author chats on TODAY". Today.com. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
12. "BBC Radio 4 – The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Daré – Available now". BBC Online. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
13. "The Girl with the Louding Voice - by Abi Daré". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2023.