Famous Nigerian Poets

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
7
Birthdate: September 15, 1977
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Enugu, Nigeria

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer and feminist. She is popular for writing novels, such as Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun. She is credited with popularizing African literature among a new generation of readers, especially in the United States. In 2015, she was named in Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People.

 2 
Chinua Achebe
(Nigerian novelist)
Chinua Achebe
4
Birthdate: November 16, 1930
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ogidi, Nigeria Protectorate
Died: March 21, 2013

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian poet, novelist, professor, and critic. Often described as Africa's greatest storyteller, Achebe is widely regarded as the father of modern African writing. He was the recipient of several awards and honors, including the Man Booker International Prize 2007. His novel Things Fall Apart is one of the most read books in Africa.

 3 
Ben Okri
(Distinguished Nigerian Poet and Novelist Who Won Booker Prize for His Novel ‘The Famished Road’)
Ben Okri
3
Birthdate: March 15, 1959
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Minna, Nigeria

Distinguished Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri OBE FRSL is counted among the leading African authors in the post-modern and post-colonial traditions. His 1991 novel The Famished Road led him to become the youngest-ever winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Other notable works of Okri includes A Way of Being Free, A Time for New Dreams and Starbook.

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 4 
Gabriel Okara
(Nigerian Novelist and Poet Who was the First Poet of Anglophone African Origin to Embrace Modernism)
Gabriel Okara
3
Birthdate: April 24, 1921
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Eastern Region, Nigeria
Died: March 25, 2019
Gabriel Okara was a Nigerian novelist and poet best remembered for his experimental novel, The Voice. Over the course of his career, Okara won several prestigious awards such as the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and the Nigeria Prize for Literature. Nicknamed the Nigerian Negritudist, Gabriel Okara was the first poet of Anglophone African origin to embrace modernism.
 5 
J. P. Clark
(Nigerian Playwright and Poet Who is Counted Among Africa's Most Important Authors of All Time)
J. P. Clark
3
Birthdate: April 6, 1935
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Kiagbodo, Nigeria
Died: October 13, 2020
J. P. Clark was a Nigerian playwright and poet. He is credited with founding the PEC Repertory Theatre alongside his wife Ebun Odutola. Counted among Africa's most important authors of all time, Clark won many prestigious awards including the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award. J. P. Clark also contributed as an editor of magazines like Black Orpheus. 
 6 
Christopher Okigbo
(Nigerian Poet Who is Considered One of the 20th Century's Major Modernist Writers)
Christopher Okigbo
3
Birthdate: August 16, 1932
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Ojoto, Nigeria
Died: August 31, 1967
Christopher Okigbo was a Nigerian poet, librarian, and teacher. Today, he is regarded as an important postcolonial English-language African poet. He is also considered one of the 20th century's major modernist writers. Also an accomplished soldier, Christopher Okigbo was killed in action while fighting for the independence of Biafra. 
 7 
Okwui Enwezor
(Nigerian Writer, Poet, Art Critic, Curator, and Educator.)
Okwui Enwezor
3
Birthdate: October 23, 1963
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Calabar, Nigeria
Died: March 15, 2019
Okwui Enwezor was a Nigerian writer, poet, art critic, curator, and educator. Enwezor, who specialized in art history, was honored with the Frank Jewett Mather Award in 2006. In 2014, Okwui Enwezor was mentioned in ArtReview magazine's 100 most powerful people of the art world list.
 8 
Chris Abani
(Nigerian-American Author and Playwright Who is Known for His Controversial Books and Anti-Government Plays)
Chris Abani
0
Birthdate: December 27, 1966
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Afikpo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Chris Abani is a Nigerian-American author and playwright best known for his controversial books and anti-government plays. He was imprisoned in Nigeria on three occasions for his anti-government novels before he moved to the USA. Chris Abani is the recipient of many prestigious awards such as the Edgar Award, Imbongi Yesizwe Poetry International Award, and PEN Award.
 9 
Solomon Babalola
(Poet, Academic, and Scholar Who Introduced Yoruba Folk Tales to the Younger Generation of Readers)
Solomon Babalola
0
Birthdate: December 17, 1926
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Ipetumodu, Nigeria
Died: December 15, 2008
Solomon Babalola was a Nigerian poet, academic, and scholar. After starting his career as a teacher, Babalola went on to serve as the principal of Igbobi College, becoming the school's first African principal. As a poet, Solomon Babalola worked towards introducing the Yoruba folk tales to the younger generation of readers.