SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Chika Unigwe is a Nigerian-born Igbo novelist who writes in English and Dutch. Her work spans novels, short stories, essays, and poems, which explore gender, migration, and the experiences of African women across different cultural contexts.
Born in 1974 in Enugu, southeastern Nigeria, Unigwe studied English at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, graduating in 1995. She later moved to Europe, earning a master’s degree in English from KU Leuven and a PhD in Literature from Leiden University. After living in Turnhout, Belgium, for almost two decades, she relocated to Atlanta, United States, where she is currently Professor of Creative Writing at Georgia College & State University.
Unigwe gained international recognition after winning the Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2012 for her novel On Black Sisters’ Street (2009). In acknowledgment of her literary contribution, she was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the Crown in Belgium in 2023. Furthermore, Unigwe has served as a juror for the Man Booker International Prize and, since 2024, has chaired the judging panel of the Caine Prize for African Writing. In addition, she founded the Awele Creative Trust in Nigeria to support and mentor emerging writers.
The Chika Unigwe Bibliography Website
maintained by Daria Tunca
http://www.cerep.ulg.ac.be/unigwe/index.html
Selected honours and awards:
2023 — Knight of the Order of the Crown, Belgium
2012 — Nigeria Prize for Literature, for On Black Sisters’ Street
2005 — Third Prize, Olaudah Equiano Prize for Fiction
2004 — VDAB‑Prijs (Flemish literary prize)
2003 — BBC World Service Short Story Competition, for Borrowed Smile
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Unigwe, Chika. A Rainbow for Dinner. Macmillan, 2002.
—. Better Never Than Late. Cassava Republic, 2019.
—. Born in Nigeria. Onyx, 1995.
—. De Zwarte messias. De Bezige Bij, 2013.
—. Fata Morgana. Translated by Hans van Riemsdijk. Meulenhoff Manteau, 2007.
—. Grace. Canongate, 2026.
—. Ije at School. Macmillan, 2003.
—. Tear Drops, Richardson, 1993.
—. The Black Messiah. Translated by Hans van Riemsdijk. Meulenhoff Manteau, 2007.
—. The Middle Daughter. Canongate, 2023.
—. The Phoenix. Farafina, 2007.
—. Nachtdanser. Translated by Hans van Riemsdijk. De Bezige Bij, 2011.
—. Night Dancer. Jonathan Cape, 2012.
—. Obioma Plays Football. Cassava Republic, 2022.
—. On Black Sisters’ Street. Vintage, 2009.
