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World » Africa » Nigeria

Browse book recommendations:

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Two authors recommend their best books on Nigeria.  The poet and novelist Helon Habila chooses his favourite memoirs and novels about the country and Michael Peel, the Financial Times’ former West Africa correspondent, talks us through the five books that helped him understand Nigeria.  He includes Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes and The Trial by Franz Kafka.

We have other interviews with Nigerian authors not exclusively focused on the country.  Chigozie Obioma recommends his best books on boyhood and growing up and David Olusoga, the historian and writer, chooses his best books on race and slavery.

The Ghanaian economist, George Ayittey, in his interview on Africa through African Eyes, looks at African “development” in general but touches on Nigeria.  He argues that a new paradigm is needed to tackle the ill effects of poverty and corruption and improve the effects of Western aid across the continent.  The author Adam Haslett, in his best books on evil, chooses Crude World by Peter Maass, which details how various countries including Nigeria have been negatively affected by the oil industry.

A number of interviewees chose books set in Nigeria, or by Nigerian authors.  The South African writer, Justin Cartwright chooses Mister Johnson by Joyce Cary as one of his best books on Being White in Africa.  Michelle Jana Chen, on her best books on Displacement chooses Half of a Yellow Sun by Chiamamanda Ngozi Adichie.  John Kampfner, the former CEO of index on Censorship chooses another novel by Adichie, The Thing Around Your Neck as one of his best books on Freedom.

The Zimbabwean novelist, Tendai Huchu chooses Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, a novel set in the Nigeria of the 1890s for his best books of Historical Fiction.  Another Zimbabwean writer, Ellah Allfrey recommends Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters Street and a collection of short stories,  A Life Elsewhere by Segun Afolabi.  Marina Warner on her best books of fairy tales chooses a collection of short stories by the Nigerian writer, Lesley Nneka Arimah, What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky.

    The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Helon Habila

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - A Month and a Day by Ken Saro-Wiwa

    1

    A Month and a Day
    by Ken Saro-Wiwa

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Aké by Wole Soyinka

    2

    Aké
    by Wole Soyinka

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Dangerous Love by Ben Okri

    3

    Dangerous Love
    by Ben Okri

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Home and Exile by Chinua Achebe

    4

    Home and Exile
    by Chinua Achebe

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

    5

    Things Fall Apart
    by Chinua Achebe

The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Helon Habila

The award-winning Nigerian writer, Helon Habila, picks his favourite books about Nigeria.

    The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Michael Peel

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Anthills of the Savannah by Chinua Achebe

    1

    Anthills of the Savannah
    by Chinua Achebe

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

    2

    Leviathan
    by Thomas Hobbes

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - The Trial by Franz Kafka

    3

    The Trial
    by Franz Kafka

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

    4

    Half of a Yellow Sun
    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  • Read
    The best books on Nigeria - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

    5

    A Fine Balance
    by Rohinton Mistry

The best books on Nigeria, recommended by Michael Peel

The FT's former West Africa correspondent talks us through five books that helped him to understand Nigeria.

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We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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