The 11 novelists shortlisted for the 2021 $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature (NPL) are to be hosted Sunday, August 8 at the Eko Hotel & Suites, VI, Lagos
The party is the 12th CORA-NPL Book Party held annually for shortlisted writers.
The Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), which organises the yearly Book Party with support of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Ltd, said the event starting at 2pm, will hold in hybrid format â In-Person and Virtually.
The 11 writers on the shortlist are expected to attend physically, but those abroad will join virtually.
Guests not in the room are to join via: https://nlng.zoom.us/j/87037138733 ID:Â 870 3713 8733Â | Passcode:Â 492864.
According to CORA, âThe Book Party affords members of the public the opportunity to interact with the authors on their shortlisted works towards the announcement of the shortlist of three that will eventually yield the final winner of the Prize later in the year.â
Eyono Fatai-Williams, General Manager External Relations and Sustainable Development of the NLNG Ltd said, âThe party also helps to promote a reading culture, especially among young Nigerians, engage relevant publics in literature, academia, and the media and stimulate public interest in the Longlisted works and the NPL.â
The $100,000 NPL is the biggest cash prize award for a literary competition on the continent.
âAlthough that is quite some significant amount of money in anyoneâs account, CORA sees, in it an opportunity for the creation of an entire economy around the book tradeâ, according to Jahman Anikulapo, Programme Chair of CORA, who conceived the idea of the book party during a review of the first five years of the award in 2009.
The review was organized in response to calls that the prize should do more than being a glamourous Gala night in which one author got rich, but the Nigerian book trade and literary scene as a whole didnât seem elevated.
The 11 novels shortlisted for the 18th NPL include, in alphabetical order:
- Delusion of Patriotsâ Obianuju V. Chukwuorji,
- Give Us Each Dayâ Samuel Monye,
- Imminent River â Anaele Ihuoma.
- In The Name of Our Fatherâ Olukorede S. Yishau,
- Mountain of Yesterdayâ Tony Nwaka,
- Neglectedâ Lucy Chiamaka Okwuma.
- The Colours of Hatredâ Obinna Udenwa,
- The Girl with The Louding Voiceâ Abi Dare,
- The Return of Half- Somethingâ Chukwudi Eze,
- The Son of The Houseâ Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia,
- Your Church, My Shrineâ Law Ikay Ezeh