Christopher Abani

The coming-of-age of a young Englishwoman the power of her ties to family, husband, and her "adopted" country, Nigeria, as well as the illumination of her own soul and that of the narrators.

This is Abani's fifth collection of poetry. Utilizing religious ritual, the Nigerian Igbo language, and reggae rhythms, Abani creates a post-racial, liturgical love song that covers the globe from Abuja to Los Angeles and explores the charged intersections of atrocity and love, politics and religion, loss and renewal.

Part Inferno, part Paradise Lost, and part Sunjiata epic, Song for Night is the story of a West African boy soldier's lyrical, terrifying, yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. The reader is led by the voiceless protagonist who, as part of a land mine-clearing platoon, had his vocal chords cut; a move to keep these children from screaming when blown up, and thereby distracting the other minesweepers. Written in a ghostly voice, each chapter is headed by a line of the unique sign language these children invented. This book is unlike anything else ever written about an African war."Chris Abani might be the most courageous writer working right now . . . He's stunningly prolific and writes like an angel. If you want to get at the molten heart of contemporary fiction, Abani is the starting point."—Dave Eggers, author of The Wild Things

This novel is set in Maroko, a sprawling, swampy, crazy and colorful ghetto of Lagos, Nigeria, and unfolds against a backdrop of lush reggae and highlife music, American movies and a harsh urban existence. Elvis Oke, a teenage Elvis impersonator spurred on by the triumphs of heroes in the American movies and books he devours, pursues his chosen vocation with ardent single-mindedness. He suffers through hours of practice set to the tinny tunes emanating from the radio in the filthy shack he shares with his alcoholic father, his stepmother and his stepsiblings. He applies thick makeup that turns his black skin white, to make his performance more convincing for American tourists and hopefully net him dollars. But still he finds himself constantly broke. Beset by hopelessness and daunted by the squalor and violence of his daily life, he must finally abandon his dream. With job prospects few and far between, Elvis is tempted to a life of crime by the easy money his friend Redemption tells him is to be had in Lago's underworld. But the King of the Beggars, Elvis's enigmatic yet faithful adviser, intercedes. And so, torn by the frustration of unrealizable dreams and accompanied by an eclectic chorus of voices. Elvis must find a way to a Graceland of his own making. Graceland is the story of a son and his father, and an examination of postcolonial Nigeria, where the trappings of American culture reign supreme.

Abigail is brought as a teenager to London from Nigeria by relatives who attempt to force her into prostitution. She flees, struggling to find herself and save her lover.

A mischievous book of displacement, exile, ancestry, and subversive humor. The central section, "Buffalo Women," is a Civil war correspondence between the lovers that plays on our assumptions about war, gender, morality, and politics.

A political thriler about a foiled Nigerian coup.

A collection of imaginative and witty poems, this work displays astonishing energy; beauty of expression; and a range of reference to contemporary life, history, art and literature. Including both meditative and narrative poems, this volume frequently focuses on extreme situations where compassion, love and individual determination triumph against all odds.