Isidore Okpewho
Encyclopedia
Isidore Okpewho is a Nigerian novelist, and critic. He won the 1976 African Arts Prize for Literature, and 1993 Commonwealth Writers' Prize
, Best Book Africa.
, and from the University of Denver
with a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, and from the University of London
with a D.Lit. in the Humanities. He taught at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
from 1974 to 1976, University of Ibadan
from 1976 to 1990, Harvard University
from 1990 to 1991, and Binghamton University
.
He was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
in 1982, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
in 1982, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
in 1988, the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute in 1990, National Humanities Center
in 1997, and 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship
.
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers is an initiative by the Commonwealth Foundation to unearth, develop and promote the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth. It's flagship are two literary awards and a website...
, Best Book Africa.
Life
He graduated from the University of LondonUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and from the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
with a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, and from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
with a D.Lit. in the Humanities. He taught at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
from 1974 to 1976, University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
from 1976 to 1990, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
from 1990 to 1991, and Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
.
He was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
in 1982, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
in 1982, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences is an American interdisciplinary research body in Stanford, California focusing on the social sciences and humanities . Fellows are elected in a closed process, to spend a period of residence at the Center, released from other duties...
in 1988, the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute in 1990, National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
in 1997, and 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.
Novels
- The Victims, Longman, 1970, ISBN 9780582640757
- The Last Duty Longman, 1976; Longman, 1986, ISBN 9780582785359
- Tides, Longman, 1993, ISBN 9780582102767
- Call Me By My Rightful Name, Africa World Press, 2004, ISBN 9781592211913
Non-fiction
- The Epic in Africa: Toward a Poetics of the Oral Performance, Columbia University Press, 1979, ISBN 9780231044004