Language English Nationality American | Ethnicity Nigerian Name Tope Folarin | |
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Education University of Oxford, Morehouse College | ||
Conversations with african poets writers tope folarin
Tope Folarin (born 1981) is a Nigerian-American writer. He won the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story "Miracle". In April 2014 he was named in the Hay Festival's Africa39 project as one of the 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with the potential and the talent to define the trends of the region. His story "Genesis" was shortlisted for the 2016 Caine Prize.
Contents
- Conversations with african poets writers tope folarin
- Art works podcast conversation with tope folarin
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- Publications
- References
Art works podcast conversation with tope folarin
Early life
He was born as Oluwabusayo Temitope Folarin in Ogden, Utah, to Nigerian migrants, and has four younger siblings — three brothers and a sister. He grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas, where he moved with his family at the age of 14.
Speaking of his upbringing in a 2016 interview, Folarin said that he and his siblings were raised with "a deep respect" for Nigeria and Africa. The children were eager to visit Nigeria, but financial constraints prevented the family from doing so. "I think my writing reflects both of these aspects of my life—a sense of closeness to Nigeria, and a distance as well," he said.
After high school he enrolled at Morehouse College, spending a year and a half as an exchange student, first at Bates College in Maine, then the University of Cape Town in South Africa, before he graduated from Morehouse in 2004, with a B.A. He was named a 2004 Rhodes Scholar, and during the summer of 2004 was a Galbraith Scholar at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, after which he went on to study at the University of Oxford, graduating in 2006 with an M.Sc. in African Studies and an M.Sc. in Comparative Social Policy.
Career
In 2013 he became the first writer based outside Africa to win the Caine Prize, for His story "Miracle", which is set in Texas in an evangelical Nigerian church. The award of the prize — which is open to anyone who was born in Africa, is an African national, or whose parents are African — sparked some discussion about whether the author's connection to Africa was strong enough. Tope himself said in an interview to The Guardian: "I'm a writer situated in the Nigerian disapora, and the Caine Prize means a lot – it feels like I'm connected to a long tradition of African writers. The Caine Prize is broadening its definition and scope. I consider myself Nigerian and American, both identities are integral to who I am. To win … feels like a seal of approval."
In April 2014 he was named on the Hay Festival's Africa39 list of writers aged under 40 with potential and talent to define trends in African literature.
He has served on the board of the Hurston/Wright Foundation.
Personal life
Folarin lives in Washington, D.C. He was married there on August 16, 2014, to Stephanie Borges, an educator.