E. C. Osondu
E. C. Osondu is a Nigerian writer known for his short stories. His story "Waiting" won the 2009 Caine Prize for African Writing,[1] for which he had been a finalist in 2007 with his story "Jimmy Carter's Eyes".[2][3] Osondu had previously won the Allen and Nirelle Galso Prize for Fiction[4] and his story "A Letter from Home" was judged one of "The Top Ten Stories on the Internet" in 2006.
Osondu's writing has been published in Agni,[5] Guernica,[6] Vice,[7] Fiction, and The Atlantic.[8] His debut collection of short stories, Voice of America, was published in 2010.[9]
Biography
Epaphras Chukwuenweniwe Osondu was born in Nigeria, where he worked as an advertising copywriter for many years. He received an M.F.A in creative writing from Syracuse University in 2007.[10] He has taught at Providence College since 2008, where he is an Associate Professor of English,[11] teaching courses in Creative Writing, Introduction to Literature, and the Development of Western Civilization.
"Waiting", published in October 2008 by Guernica, describes life in a refugee camp from a child's point of view. Meakin Armstrong, the magazine's fiction editor, noted that "it isn't pretentious nor rife with literary trickery. It's simply a well-told story about a kind of life most of us couldn't even begin to imagine."[12] In addition to the £10,000 cash award, the Caine Prize also brought Osondu a month's residency at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Osondu's "Voice of America" is included in Gods and Soldiers: The Penguin Anthology of Contemporary African Writing (2009).
Osondu sits on the pan-African literary initiative, Writivism's Board of Trustees, with fellow writers Zukiswa Wanner, Chika Unigwe, NoViolet Bulawayo, Nii Parkes and Lizzy Attree.
References
- "Previous Winners". The Caine Prize for African Writing. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- Alison Flood, "EC Osondu takes £10,000 'African Booker'", The Guardian, 7 July 2009.
- Iwunze-Ibiam, Chioma (2017-04-01). "E.C Osondu Now Contributing Editor Of AGNI". Creative Writing News. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- "EC Osondu". Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. 2016-01-26. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- Osofisan, Sola (2016-08-22). "E.C. Osondu: A Writer must come to the blank page with humility". AfricanWriter.com. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- Osondu, E. C. (2008-10-01). "Waiting". Guernica. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- www.publishersweekly.com https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=2395. Retrieved 2020-05-30. Missing or empty
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(help) - LaFrance, Adrienne (2020-01-14). "Let's All Read More Fiction". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- Gappah, Petina (2011-01-16). "Voice of America by EC Osondu - book review". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- "E.C. Osondu G'07 Returns to Syracuse for Carver Reading Series March 25". SU News. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- "Epaphras Osondu". The English Department at Providence College. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- Meakin Armstrong, "Guernica/E. C. Osondu/Clifford Garstang", Five Star Literary Stories.
External links
- The Caine Prize for African Literature
- Review of "Voice of America"
- Text of "Waiting" in Guernica magazine.
- Text of "A Letter from Home" at AGNIonline
- Laura Adibe, "Interview with An Author: E. C. Osondu Pens Multi-Faceted Human Experience in 'Voice of America'", Black Voices, 5 November 2010.
- Temitayo Olofinlua, Interview with E. C. Osondu, Bella Naija, 29 June 2009.
- Gbenga Awomodu, "8 Questions for E.C. Osondu, 2009 Caine Prize Winner & Author, Voice of America", Bella Naija, 11 September 2011.
- BBC interview with Osondu by Molara Wood at Africa Beyond: Celebrating African Arts in the UK.
- Guernica fiction editor Meakin Armstrong on Osondu's award.
- E.C. Osondu – The Writer’s Voice, Providence College Podcast, Episode 169, October 14, 2019