Ben Okri (born on March 15, 1959) is a Nigerian poet and novelist. Having spent his early childhood in London, he and his family returned to Nigeria in 1968. He later came back to England, embarking on studies at the University of Essex. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Westminster (1997) and the University of Essex (2002), and was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2001. is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The University of Essex rules is a British plate glass university. ... The University of Westminster is a university in London, England, formed in 1992 as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992, which allowed the London Polytechnic (Polytechnic of Central London or PCL ) to rename itself as a university. ... The University of Essex rules is a British plate glass university. ... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander...

Since he published his first novel, Flowers and Shadows (1980), Okri has risen to a international acclaim, and he is often described as one of Africa's greatest writers. His best known work, The Famished Road, was awarded the 1991 Booker Prize. He has also won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa, the Aga Khan Prize for fiction, and was given a Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Famished Road is the Booker Prize-winning novel written by Nigerian author Ben Okri. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... The Commonwealth Writers Prize was established in 1987. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Aga Khan Prize may refer to: Aga Khan Award for Architecture Aga Khan Prize for Fiction is given out by the editors of the Paris Review Category: ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Royal Society of Literature is the senior literary organisation in Britain. External link The Royal Society of Literature Categories: Literature stubs | Literature of the United Kingdom ...

He has also been described as a magic realist, although he has shrugged off that tag. His first-hand experiences of civil war in Nigeria are said to have inspired many of his works. He writes about both the mundane and the metaphysical, the individual and the collective, drawing the reader into a world with vivid descriptions. Magic Realism (or Magical Realism) is an illustrative or literary technique in which the laws of cause and effect seem not quite to apply in otherwise real world situations. ...

Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre for the International PEN, an association of writers with 130 branches in over 100 countries. He is also a member of the United Kingdom's Royal National Theatre. Logo of International PEN International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, was founded in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere; to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as... The Royal National Theatre from Waterloo Bridge The Royal National Theatre is a building complex and theatre company located on the South Bank in London, England immediately east of the southern end of Waterloo Bridge. ...

After taking a 5 year break, Ben's eleventh book, Starbook was published by Rider. Starbook is a novel by Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri. ... A rider can refer to: Look up rider in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Awards

• 1987 Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa Region, Best Book) - Incidents at the Shrine
• 1987 Paris Review/Aga Khan Prize for Fiction - Incidents at the Shrine
• 1988 The Guardian Fiction Prize - Stars of the New Curfew (shortlisted)
• 1991 Booker Prize for Fiction - The Famished Road
• 1993 Chianti Ruffino-Antico Fattore International Literary Prize - The Famished Road
• 1994 Premio Grinzane Cavour (Italy) -The Famished Road
• 1995 Crystal Award (World Economic Forum)
• 2000 Premio Palmi (Italy) - Dangerous Love

The Commonwealth Writers Prize was established in 1987. ... Aga Khan Prize may refer to: Aga Khan Award for Architecture Aga Khan Prize for Fiction is given out by the editors of the Paris Review Category: ... Guardian First Book Award issued before 1999 as Guardian Fiction Prize or Guardian Fiction Award is awarded to new writing in fiction and non-fiction. ... The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known as the Man Booker Prize, or simply the Man Booker, is one of the worlds most important literary prizes, and awarded each year for the best original novel written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland in... The Famished Road is the Booker Prize-winning novel written by Nigerian author Ben Okri. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Bibliography

• Flowers and Shadows (novel); Longman, 1980
• The Landscapes Within (novel); Longman, 1981
• Incidents at the Shrine (novel); Heinemann, 1986
• Stars of the New Curfew (short stories); Secker & Warburg, 1988
• The Famished Road (novel); Cape, 1991
• An African Elegy (poetry); Cape, 1992
• Songs of Enchantment (novel); Cape, 1993
• Astonishing the Gods (novel); Phoenix House, 1995
• Birds of Heaven; Orion, 1995
• Dangerous Love (novel); Phoenix House, 1996
• A Way of Being Free (essays); Phoenix House, 1997
• Infinite Riches (novel); Phoenix House, 1998
• Mental Fight (poetry); Phoenix House, 1999
• In Arcadia (novel); Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002
• Okri, Ben (August 2007). Starbook. Rider. ISBN 9781846040825. 

The Famished Road is the Booker Prize-winning novel written by Nigerian author Ben Okri. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Starbook is a novel by Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri. ... A rider can refer to: Look up rider in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

• Ben Okri's MySpace page
• The Ben Okri Bibliography - an extensive bibliography of works by and about Ben Okri. Also includes a short biography and an introduction to his work.
• Ben Okri - biography with short descriptions of selected works