1. Christopher Abani was born on 27 December 1966 and is a Nigerian American author.
14 Facts About Chris Abani
1. 2.
Chris Abani says he is part of a new generation of Nigerian writers working to convey to an English-speaking audience the experience of those born and raised in "that troubled African nation".
3.
Chris Abani's father was Igbo, while his mother was of English descent.
4.
Chris Abani published his first novel, Masters of the Board, in 1985 at the age of 16.
5.
Chris Abani was imprisoned for six months on suspicion of an attempt to overthrow the government.
6.
Chris Abani continued to write after his release from jail, but was imprisoned for one year after the publication of his 1987 novel Sirocco.
7.
Chris Abani was imprisoned a third time and was placed on death row.
8.
Chris Abani then moved to the United States, where he now lives.
9.
Chris Abani is currently the Director of the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University.
10.
Chris Abani is a Board of Trustees Professor of English there.
11.
Chris Abani's book of poetry, Sanctificum which was published by Copper Canyon Press, is a sequence of linked poems, bringing together religious ritual, the Igbo language of his Nigerian homeland, and reggae rhythms in a postracial, liturgical love song.
12.
Chris Abani's foray into publishing has led to the formation of the Black Goat poetry series, which is an imprint of New York-based Akashic Books.
13.
In 2001, Chris Abani received a Middleton Fellowship from the University of Southern California.
14.
In 2008, Chris Abani received a Distinguished Humanist Award from the University of California, Riverside.