Chigozie Obioma, an assistant professor of English at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, has been named one of six finalists for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, awarded for the best novel written in the English language. The prize, which comes with a cash award of 50,000 euros, will be presented in London on October 13.
Obioma is being honored for his novel The Fishermen (Little, Brown, 2015), set in his native Nigeria. It tells the story of four brothers who skip school to spend their time fishing. They encounter a man who predicts that the eldest of the four will be murdered by one of his brothers.
Obioma said being a finalist for the Man Booker Prize is very humbling. When writing the book he said, “I was only hoping it would be published.”
Obioma graduated first in his class at Cyprus International University. He holds a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan.
