Fego Martins Ahia was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a two-time finalist of the Litro & IGGY International Short Story Award. In 2011, he won the Ugreen Foundation’s Short Story Award as well as a bronze award in the Commonwealth Essay Competition. He is currently working on his first book. He had this to say about his favourite five stories. "I’ve read scores of amazing pieces of literature, and whittling the best of them to five is more of a daunting task, than pleasure, itself. These five have had varying influences on my person, and are few of those I would live to remember."
This breathtaking debut traces recent Nigerian history through Kambili's crystal-clear eyes. What fascinates me is the powerful voice that sweeps through the pages, sentence by sentence. The coming of age story gradually becomes a mirror to the final years of Nigeria’s military lifetime, while addressing a major conflict within a small Catholic family. It skillfully touches sensitive subjects, including religion and political activism in a way that appeals to readers, irrespective of cultural background.
This well-crafted collection of short stories bordering on Indian-American existence is one of the most illuminating books I’ve read in my short life. The stories literally breathe fresh air on the reader’s face, translating one to the streets of Calcutta and Cambridge, the trams that carry dust with them, the stairwells of apartment-buildings where life happens. It is a pleasure to re-read these stories as if to absorb the life present on every page. Jhumpa Lahiri’s stories are beautiful, but serious, and I like them that way.
This is another ground-breaking short story collection written by the master, who published an amazing novel, The Master, years ago. Colm Toibin tells powerful stories in way that is both stunning and intentional. Here, he travels the paths of sadness, memory, burgeoning romance and most importantly, emptiness, itself. Not only does he address these subjects as if to draw us into a world where loneliness triumphs; he also reminds us that escape is not always the best way to experience life to its fullest. Toibin is a maestro of the form.
Disgrace is an exquisite contemporary novel that chronicles the life of a fifty-two year old South African literature professor, David Lurie. Having lost his job – and in part, his high life – to a secret affair with his Romantics student, he finds refuge with his daughter, Lucy in faraway Eastern Cape even though he detests the path she treads. The drama ends with a disaster and a coming-to-life-again sort of resolution. In short, this Booker-prize winning novel set in post-apartheid South Africa reads like a shocking all-time classic not easily forgotten.
This is a startling debut collection of short stories by the US-based Chinese novelist. It comfortably draws a tightrope between China and America and poignantly showcases Yiyun Li’s confidence as a writer with a difference. This is evident in her use of English – a second language, by the way – and her portrayal of original tragedies spanning several decades and age ranges. Reading this masterpiece is one of the most enlightening decisions I ever made. Yiyun Li is, by far, one of the most amazing voices in today's literature.
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