Lola Shoneyin | |
|---|---|
 Lola Shoneyin 2015 | |
| Born | Titilola Atinuke Alexandrah Shoneyin (1974-02-26)26 February 1974 |
| Occupation | Author |
| Spouse | Olaokun Soyinka |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Abraham Olayinka Okupe (Grandfather) |
| Family | 4 Children |
| Awards | Literary Person Of The Year - 2018 |
| Website | www |
Lola Shoneyin (bornTitilola Atinuke Alexandrah Shoneyin; 26 February 1974 inIbadan,Nigeria) is a Nigerianpoet and author[1] who launched herdebut novel,The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, in the UK in May 2010.[2] Shoneyin has forged a reputation as an adventurous, humorous and outspoken poet (often classed in the feminist mould), having published three volumes of poetry.[3] Her writing delves into themes related to female sexuality and the difficulties of domestic life in Africa.[4] In April 2014 she was named on theHay Festival'sAfrica39 list of 39Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define trends in African literature.[5] Lola won thePEN Award in America[6] as well as the Ken Saro-Wiwa Award for prose in Nigeria.[7] She was also on the list for theOrange Prize in the UK for her debut novel,The Secret of Baba Segi's Wives, in 2010.[8] She lives inLagos, Nigeria, where she curates and runs the annualAké Arts and Book Festival.[9][10] In 2017, she was named African Literary Person of the Year byBrittle Paper.[11]
Titilola Atinuke Alexandrah Shoneyin was born inIbadan, the capital ofOyo State,south-western Nigeria, in 1974. She is the youngest of six children and the only girl. Her parents, Chief Tinuoye Shoneyin and Mrs. Yetunde Shoneyin (née Okupe), are Remo indigenes fromOgun State.
Shoneyin’s work is significantly influenced by her life, notably providing material onpolygamy for her debut novel; her maternal grandfather, Abraham Olayinka Okupe (1896-1976) was thetraditional ruler ofIperu Remo and had five wives. He ascended the throne in 1938 and died in 1976.[12]
At the age of six, she went to boarding school in the UK, attendingCargilfield School,Edinburgh;[13]The Collegiate School,Winterbourne,Bristol, andFettes Junior School inEdinburgh. Returning to Nigeria after her father was imprisoned by the then military government, she completed her secondary education at Abadina College. She later earned her BA (Hons) degree fromOgun State University in 1994/95.[citation needed]
Shoneyin's early writing consists mainly of poetry and short stories. Early examples of her work appeared in thePost Express in 1995,[14] which features a short story about a Nigerian woman who leaves her husband for an Austrian woman. This story initiated dialogue about homosexuality within a Nigerian context.
Her first volume of poetry,So All the Time I was Sitting on an Egg, was published by Ovalonion House, Nigeria, in 1998.[15] Shoneyin attended the renownedInternational Writing Program inIowa, USA, in August 1999 and was also in that year a DistinguishedScholar at theUniversity of St. Thomas (Minnesota).
Her second volume of poetry,Song of a Riverbird, was published in Nigeria (Ovalonion House) in 2002.[16] While living in England, she obtained a teaching degree fromLondon Metropolitan University in 2005.
Shoneyin completed her first novel in 2000. Her second novel,Harlot, received some interest, but the story of a young girl growing up in colonial Nigeria to make a fortune as a "Madame" remains unpublished.[citation needed] Shoneyin moved on to her third novel,The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, which was published in 2010.[17] It was adapted as astage play byRotimi Babatunde and it showed in theArcola Theatre in London.[18]
Cassava Republic Press, Nigeria, published Shoneyin's third poetry collection,For the Love of Flight, in February 2010.[19]Mayowa and the Masquerades, a children’s book, was also published by Cassava Republic, in July 2010.[20]
Shoneyin has also written for newspapers, includingThe Scotsman,[13]The Guardian,[12] andThe Times on issues such as racism, Nigeria's tradition of polygamous marriage,[12] the Nigerian terrorist groupBoko Haram and the elections of now former PresidentMuhammadu Buhari.
She is the founder and Director ofBook Buzz Foundation, anon-governmental organization established in 2012 for the promotion of arts and culture within local and global spaces.[21] She co-foundedInfusion, a popular monthly gathering for music, art and culture inAbuja, Nigeria.[22] Shoneyin served as a judge of the 2018Caine Prize for African Writing.[22] She also runs the publishing imprint and bookshop Ouida Books in Nigeria.[23]
Her first marriage lasted a short 40 days. She is now married to medical doctorOlaokun Soyinka, son ofNobel laureateWole Soyinka and has been with him for 22 years.[24] She currently lives in Lagos with her husband and four children (2 boys and 2 girls).[25]
