Lesley Nneka Arimah

Lesley Nneka Arimah
Born (1983-10-13) 13 October 1983 (age 41)
London, England
OccupationWriter
NationalityNigerian
GenreShort story
Notable awards2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa, 2017 O. Henry Prize, 2017 Kirkus Prize, 2019 Caine Prize
Website
www.larimah.com

Lesley Nneka Arimah (born 13 October 1983 in London, United Kingdom) is a Nigerian writer. She has been described as "a skillful storyteller who can render entire relationships with just a few lines of dialogue"[1] and "a new voice with certain staying power."[2] She is the winner of the 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa,[3] the 2017 O. Henry Prize,[4] the 2017 Kirkus Prize,[5] and the 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing.[6]

Biography

Arimah was born on 13 October 1983 in London. She grew up in both Nigeria and the U.K., but frequently moved around due to her father being in the military. In her early teens, she moved to the U.S., where she received her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Minnesota State University Mankato in 2010.[7]

In September 2017, the National Book Foundation honored Arimah as one of their "Five Under 35" writers to watch,[8][9] and in 2019, she was a United States Artists Fellow in Writing.[10]

Arimah currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.[10]

Writing

Short stories

Arimah's work has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney’s, Granta, Harper's, Per Contra, and several other publications.[11]

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (2017)

Main article: What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

Arimah's debut collection of short stories, What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, was published by Riverhead Books and Tinder Press (UK) in April 2017, then republished in Nigeria by Farafina Books in November 2017.

The book centres on women protagonists exposed to a harsh environment that pushes them "to take certain steps to fit in, or make them realize, they just might not fit in,"[12] offering "a humanizing portrait of both the Nigerian citizen and first generation young female immigrant", showcasing "their flaws, their desires, their victories, and their attempts at carving out a place in a country whose customs and values diverge from that of their heritage.[13]

The collection explores women's alienation from a number of angles, "including the fraught relationships between mothers and daughters and the complicated dynamics of female friendship."[14] Her writing, The Atlantic wrote, "conveys respect for the people who claw their way through relentlessly difficult lives."[15] NPR calls it "It's a truly wonderful debut by a young author who seems certain to have a very bright literary future ahead of her."[16]

The short stories also each work in harmoniously to tell the stories of Nigerian women, life, and their upbringing. The short story in particular that incorporated gender norms of girls compared to what they choose to be are specifically explored in the story "Light" in which the father and mother cannot agree on how to raise their daughter. Relating to these themes, the story "Who Will Greet You At Home" explores the struggles of motherhood, class, expectation, and empathy. The protagonist, Ogechi, tries to fabricate a child out of the materials around her. The titular short story "What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky" explores what happens when humanity has the power to remove pain and grief through mathematical calculations. This work of science fiction was featured in the first season of the Levar Burton Reads podcast followed by an interview with the author .

This theme of dealing with grief occurs frequently in the collection, and appears in the penultimate story of the collection, entitled: "What is a Volcano". This story takes a folkloric twist, following gods and goddesses dealing with the grief that comes with losing a child. This beautiful story explores the fact that immortal beings can feel very human emotions, noting that grief is a powerful force that can overwhelm anyone, even goddesses.

These short stories explore the genre of magical realism, where a fantastical element is added to realistic fiction. In many of her stories, Arimah takes a plot that could very well just be realism and adds a magical twist. By doing this, she is able to put a new lens on important themes throughout the collection, and allow her readers to understand difficult subjects, such as grief and poverty through magical elements.

Awards

Awards for Arimah's short stories
Year Story Award Category Result Ref.
2015 "Light" Commonwealth Short Story Prize African Region Won [17][18][19]
2016 "What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky" Caine Prize — Shortlisted [17]
2017 "Glory" O. Henry Award — Won [17]
"Who Will Greet You at Home?" Caine Prize — Shortlisted [17]
2019 "Skinned" Caine Prize — Won [20][21]
Awards for What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2017 Kirkus Prize Fiction Won [22][23][24]
2018 9mobile Prize for Literature — Shortlisted [25]
Aspen Words Literary Prize — Shortlisted [26]
Minnesota Book Award Fiction Won [24]
Young Lions Fiction Award — Won [27]

Publications

  • —— (2017). What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky (hardcover 1st ed.). New York: Riverhead. ISBN 9780735211025.

References

  1. ^ Thomas Kennedy, Jackie (1 April 2017). "REVIEW: 'What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky,' by Lesley Nneka Arimah". StarTribune. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  2. ^ "WHAT IT MEANS WHEN A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY by Lesley Nneka Arimah". Kirkus Reviews. 23 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Jonathan Tel wins 2015 Short Story Prize". The Commonwealth. 9 September 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  4. ^ "The O. Henry Prize Author Spotlight". Random House. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  5. ^ Williams, Suzanne (2 November 2017). "2017 Kirkus Prize Winners Announced". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  6. ^ Killin, James (8 July 2019). "Lesley Nneka Arimah wins 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing". Caine Prize. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  7. ^ Hertzel, Laurie (30 December 2017). "A wordsmith who spins magic, Lesley Nneka Arimah is our 2017 Artist of the Year". Star Tribune.
  8. ^ Hertzel, Laurie (25 September 2017). "Minnesota writer named one of National Book Foundation's 'Five Under 35'". StarTribune. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  9. ^ "On this day in 1951, Catherine Obianuju Acholonu was born in Orlu in Imo State". Jay FM. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  10. ^ a b Mansfield, Katie (9 July 2019). "Lesley Nneka Arimah wins £10,000 Caine Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  11. ^ Mogami, Gaamangwe Joy (3 July 2017). "#CainePrize2017 | On Motherhood, Class and Fabulist Fiction | Interview with Lesley Nneka Arimah". Brittle Paper. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  12. ^ OkadaBooks (14 December 2017). "#LiterallyWhatsHot: 12 Awesome Stories with Beautifully Crafted Narratives is What You Get in Lesley Arimah's 'What It Means when a Man Falls from the Sky'". BellaNaija. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  13. ^ Von Klemperer, Liz (27 March 2017). "Lesley Nneka Arimah's Characters Muscle Their Way through Girlhood". The Rumpus.net. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  14. ^ Orr, K. J. (2 September 2017). "What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky by Lesley Nneka Arimah review – short stories". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  15. ^ Weiss-Meyer, Amy (11 April 2017). "The Powerful Pessimism of 'What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  16. ^ Schaub, Michael (5 April 2017). "'What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky' Is Defiantly, Electrically Original". NPR.org. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  17. ^ a b c d "Lesley Nneka Arimah Wins a 2017 O. Henry Prize". Brittle Paper. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  18. ^ "The Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015". Commonwealth Writers. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  19. ^ Flood, Alison (28 April 2015). "First-time Fijian author scoops award in Commonwealth short story competition". the Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  20. ^ Mansfield, Katie (19 July 2019). "Lesley Nneka Arimah wins £10,000 Caine Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Nigerian writer Lesley Nneka Arimah wins 2019 Caine Prize". The Guardian. Nigeria. 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  22. ^ "What It Means When a Man Fall from the Sky". Kirkus Reviews. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  23. ^ Staff, MPR News. "Minnesota author Lesley Nneka Arimah wins Kirkus Prize for Fiction". Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  24. ^ a b Hertzel, Laurie (23 April 2018). "Novelist Lesley Nneka Arimah, poet Bao Phi, cartoonist Steve Sack win Minnesota Book Awards". Star Tribune. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Two Nigerians, South African vie for 9mobile prize for literature 2018". The Guardian. Nigeria. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  26. ^ Weisman, Jonathan (6 March 2018). "Awards: CWA Diamond Dagger; Aspen Words Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  27. ^ "Lesley Nneka Arimah Wins NYPL's Young Lions Fiction Award for What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 26 August 2021.