Elnathan John (born 1982) is a Nigerian novelist, satirist and lawyer whose stories have twice been shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing.

Career

Elnathan John was born in

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern Nig ...

, in north-west Nigeria, in 1982. He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the Nigerian Law School, where he obtained law degrees. His short story ''Bayan Layi'', published in ''Per Contra'', was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2013. He was shortlisted again for the Caine Prize in 2015 for his short story ''Flying''. His writing has been published in ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econ ...

'', ''

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'', ''Per Contra'', '' Hazlitt'', ''ZAM Magazine'', '' Evergreen Review'', and '' Chimurenga's The Chronic''. John's first novel, ''Born on a Tuesday'' was published in 2016 by Cassava Republic Press in 2015 and in the US by Grove Atlantic. ''Born on a Tuesday'' was shortlisted in September 2016 for the

NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature Nigeria Prize for Literature is a Nigerian literary award given annually since 2004 to honor literary erudition by Nigerian authors. The award rotates among four genres; fiction, poetry, drama and children's literature, repeating the cycle every ...

, Africa's largest literary award it won a Betty Trask Award. His second book, ''Be(com)ing Nigerian, A Guide'', a collection of satirical pieces, was published by Cassava Republic Press in 2019. His third book, a graphic novel, was published by Cassava Republic Press in November 2019. The book is illustrated by Alaba Onajin. Elnathan John is a Civitella Ranieri Fellow. He writes a weekly satirical column for the '' Sunday Trust Newspaper'' and speaks regularly on Nigerian literature, media and politics. He is one of the judges of the 2019 Man Booker International Prize.

Awards and listings

* 2013: Shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing * 2015: Shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing * 2016: Shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature * 2017: Longlisted for the Etisalat Prize for African Literature * 2017: Shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize * 2017: WINNER Betty Trask Award * 2018:

Miles Morland Writing Scholarship The Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship, also called the Morland Writing Scholarships or the Miles Morland Writing Scholarship is an annual financial scholarship awarded to four to six African writers to enable them write a fiction or no ...

*2019: WINNER Prix Les Afriques

Bibliography

* ''Bayan Layi'' (2013) * ''Flying'' (2015) * ''

Born on a Tuesday ''Born on a Tuesday'' is a 2016 novel by Nigeria writer Elnathan John. It is his debut novel. It was published in 2016 by Black Cat an imprint of Grove Press. Plot summary ''Born on a Tuesday'' centers on Dantala, a young boy from the family of S ...

'' (2016) * '' Be(com)ing Nigerian'' (2019) * ''

On Ajayi Crowther Street ''On Ajayi Crowther Street'' is a 2019 graphic novel by Elnathan John and illustrated by Alaba Onajin. It was published by Cassava Republic Press Cassava Republic Press is a steering African book publishing company established in Nigeria in 20 ...

'' (2019)

References

External links

Elnathan John
official website
Elnathan's Dark Corner
blog
Elnathan John
on Twitter * Gen de Botton
"An Indies Introduce Q&A With Elnathan John"
ABA – American Booksellers Association, 5 July 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Elnathan 1982 births Living people Ahmadu Bello University alumni Nigerian male novelists Satirists People from Abuja 21st-century male writers 21st-century Nigerian novelists