Adewale Maja-Pearce (born 1953) is an Anglo-Nigerian writer, journalist and literary critic, who is best known for his documentary essays. He is the author of several books, including the memoirs ''In My Father's Country'' (1987) and ''The House My Father Built'' (2014), several other non-fiction titles and a collection of short stories entitled ''Loyalties and Other Stories'' (1986).

Early years and education

Adewale Maja-Pearce was born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, to British and Yoruba parents. He grew up in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, attending St. Gregory's College, Obalende (1965–69), and returned to Britain for further education at the

University College of Wales Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

(BA, 1972–75), and at the

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

(1984–86), where he gained a Master of Arts degree in African studies.

Literary career

He was employed a researcher at ''

Index on Censorship Index on Censorship is an organisation campaigning for freedom of expression. It produces a quarterly magazine of the same name from London. It is directed by the non-profit-making Writers and Scholars International, Ltd (WSI) in association wit ...

'' and became the journal's Africa Editor (1986–97), as well as becoming consultant and then Series Editor of the Heinemann African Writers Series (1986–94).Adewale Maja-Pearce page
Amazon. Having returned to Nigeria, he lives in

Surulere Surulere is a local government area located on the mainland in Lagos State, Nigeria. It has an area of . At the 2006 census, there were 503,975 inhabitants, with a population density of 21,864 inhabitants per square kilometer. The local governm ...

, Lagos, in a house inherited from his father, which he has written about in his 2014 memoir ''The House My Father Built''. Maja-Pearce runs an editorial services agency called Yemaja, as well as a small publishing company, The New Gong.

Writing

Maja-Pearce has written in various genres, his early published work featuring short stories drawing on his Nigerian background, with his collection ''Loyalties and Other Stories'' appearing in 1986. Most notable, however, as an essayist, he has written several non-fiction books, including the 2005 ''Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa and Other Essays'', which in the opinion of critic Uzor Uzoatu "affords us the opportunity of dipping into the immense world of Maja-Pearce as he, in twenty-three heartfelt essays and reviews, illuminates the benighted mores of modern Nigeria, the identity question in South Africa ... and engages with seminal minds across the world. ...This book is a treasure, a profound testament." Maja-Pearce was the editor of Christopher Okigbo's ''Collected Poems'' (1986), as well as of anthologies such as ''The Heinemann Book of African Poetry in English'' (1990) and ''Who's Afraid of Wole Soyinka?: Essays on Censorship'' (1991), and also wrote the 1998 and 1999 annual reports on human rights violations in Nigeria. His memoirs include 1987's ''In My Father's Country: A Nigerian Journey'' and, most recently, ''The House My Father Built'' (2014), which the reviewer for the online magazine '' Bakwa'' described in the following terms: "a harrowing tale of Nigeria as it then was (1993–1999); a memoir of Adewale Maja-Pearce's quest to possess his birth right, his country and personal dignity. ...Mr Maja-Pearce presents the greatest cast of characters in the history of Nigerian literature. And nothing comes close, no cliché, except you consider '' Basi and Company'' by

Ken Saro-Wiwa Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa (10 October 1941 – 10 November 1995) was a Nigerians, Nigerian writer, teacher, television producer, and social rights activist. Saro-Wiwa was a member of the Ogoni people, an ethnic minority in Nigeria whose homeland ...

." Maja-Pearce has written journalism, essays and reviews for a range of international publications, among them ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...

'', ''

The London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Boo ...

'', ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'', ''

The London Magazine ''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and poetry. A number of Nobel Laureates, including Annie Ernaux, Albert Camus, Doris Les ...

'', and '' Prospect'', and ''

The Baffler ''The Baffler'' is an American magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusett ...

''. He became a contributing opinion writer for '' The International New York Times'' in 2013.

Personal life

Maja-Pearce is married to the artist/activist Juliet Ezenwa.

Bibliography

* ''In My Father's Country: A Nigerian Journey'' (William Heinemann, 1987), CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011, . * ''How Many Miles to Babylon? An Essay'', Heinemann, 1990, . * ''A Mask Dancing: Nigerian Novelists of the Eighties'', Hans Zell Publishers, 1992. . * ''From Khaki to Agbada: A handbook for the February, 1999 elections in Nigeria'', Civil Liberties Organisation, 1999, . * ''Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa and Other Essays'', New Gong, 2005, . * ''A Peculiar Tragedy: J. P. Clark-Bekederemo and the Beginning of Modern Nigerian Literature in English'', CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013, . * ''The House My Father Built'',

Kachifo Limited Kachifo Limited is an independent publishing house based in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded in 2004 by Muhtar Bakare. Its imprints include Farafina Books, Farafina Educational, and Prestige Books. From 2004 to 2009, it published the influential '' ...

, 2014, . ;As editor * ''Christopher Okigbo: Collected Poems'', Heinemann, 1986, . * ''The Heinemann Book of African Poetry in English'', Heinemann, 1990, . * ''Who's Afraid of Wole Soyinka?: Essays on Censorship'', Heinemann, 1991, . * ''The New Gong Book of New Nigerian Short Stories'', 2007, . * ''Dream Chasers: New Nigerian Stories'', Nelson, 2013, . * ''This Fiction Called Nigeria: The Struggle for Democracy'',

Verso Books Verso Books (formerly New Left Books) is a publishing house based in London and New York City, founded in 1970 by the staff of ''New Left Review'' (NLR) and includes Tariq Ali and Perry Anderson on its board of directors. According to its webs ...

, 2024.

Short fiction

;Collections * *

Selected book reviews

References

External links

Adewale Maja-Pearce
blog * Olatoun Gabi-Williams
"Adewale Maja-Pearce"
(interview), ''Borders: Literature for all Nations''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Maja-Pearce, Adewale Living people 1953 births English people of Yoruba descent 20th-century British essayists 21st-century British essayists Nigerian essayists 20th-century Nigerian journalists Nigerian literary critics Nigerian male short story writers Nigerian short story writers 20th-century short story writers 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers London Review of Books people Yoruba writers Nigerian memoirists St Gregory's College, Lagos alumni Alumni of SOAS University of London Writers from Lagos Yoruba journalists Alumni of Aberystwyth University Black British writers British emigrants to Nigeria