Chief

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Ernest Emenyonu is a Nigerian academic, who is an

African literature African literature is literature from Africa, either Oral literature, oral ("orature") or written in African languages, African and Afro-Asiatic languages, Afro-Asiatic languages. Examples of Precolonialism, pre-colonial African literature can be ...

critic and professor. He was formerly head of the department of English and Literary Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Calabar The University of Calabar is a federal university situated in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It is one of Nigeria's second-generation federal universities. The University of Calabar was a campus of the University of Nigeria until 1975. ...

, in that order, through the 1980s and 1990s. He was also Provost of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, now Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education,

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Nigeria, Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Loc ...

, in

Imo state Imo () is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its name from the Imo R ...

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, ...

(1992–1995). Ernest Nneji Emenyonu is one of the preeminent scholars in the world on African Literature. He has published

biographies A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

on notable writers such as

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

and

Cyprian Ekwensi Chief Cyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi (26 September 1921 – 4 November 2007) was a Nigerian author of novels, short stories, and children's books. Biography Early life, education and family Cyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi, an Igbo, was born in ...

. He is also the author of The Rise of the Igbo Nove

While at the University of Calabar, Emenyonu founded and chaired the Calabar annual Calabar International Conference on African Literature and the English Language, International Conference on African Literature and the English Language (ICALEL). This promoted interaction of African writers and critics with visiting international scholars. Emenyonu is a research professor at

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He held the position of Head of Department of

Africana Studies Black studies or Africana studies (with nationally specific terms, such as African American studies and Black Canadian studies), is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of ...

. Presently, he is the Editor of the oldest journal in the world on African literature, ''

African Literature Today ''African Literature Today'' (''ALT'') is a journal that was first published in 1968 and is now the oldest international journal of African Literature still publishing. The journal was founded by Eldred Durosimi Jones, and annual volumes were ed ...

''. He has made notable contributions to the University of Michigan-Flint, such as bringing

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

-winner in Literature

Wole Soyinka Wole Soyinka , (born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian author, best known as a playwright and poet. He has written three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty five plays and five memoirs. He also wrote two transla ...

, to the campus, as well as women's rights activist

Nawal El Saadawi Nawal El Saadawi (, , 22 October 1931 – 21 March 2021) was an Egyptian feminist writer, activist and physician. She wrote numerous books on the subject of women in Islam, focusing on the concerns of third-world women pertaining to sexuality, p ...

. Emenyonu is a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of Saint Christopher, Anglican Communion. He is also a Chief in his hometown of Imo State, Nigeria. He was given the title ''Ugwu Mba 1 of Mbieri'', meaning in translation "pride of his people". He is married to his longtime wife Patricia Emenyonu, with four children and three granddaughters.

Bibliography

* "Introduction", ''Goatskin Bags and Wisdom: New Critical Perspectives on African Literature'', Trenton: AWP 2000. (hb) (pb) * ''Tales of our Motherland'', Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books, 1999. * ''The rise of the Igbo novel'', Oxford University Press, 1978 , * (Editor) ''New Women's Writing in African Literature'', Department of Africana Studies, University of Michigan-Flint * ''Literature and society: selected essays on African literature'', Oguta, Nigeria: Zim Pan African Publishers, 1986 * (Editor) ''A Companion to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie'', James Currey/Boydell and Brewer, 2017,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emenyonu, Ernest Academic staff of the University of Calabar Nigerian writers Scholars of African literature University of Michigan faculty Year of birth missing