Olamide Babatunde
The newest entrant in the Nigerian publishing industry, Masobe Books, has announced its presence with the signing of six writers. These writers, said the outfit, share Masobe Books’ ethos of creating and publishing an exciting and eclectic body of work, including literary fiction, genre fiction, urban noir, speculative fiction, and short fiction.
The writers and their books, which will be published between now and 1st quarter of 2020, are Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Chimeka Garricks, Michael Afenfia, Angel Patricks Amegbe, Mike Afenfia, and T.J. Benson.
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, the award-winning novelist, has partnered with Masobe Books for the Nigeria rights to her two novels, I Do Not Come to You By Chance and Buried beneath the Baobab Tree. She is also a journalist and essayist (with essays in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, and more).
Chimeka Garricks returns after a 10-year gap from his first novel, Tomorrow Died Yesterday. This time, he mixes lots of music with his distinctive storytelling magic in a memorable collection of short stories, A Broken People’s Playlist.
Michael Afenfia, the author of three critically-acclaimed novels, has adapted his popular series, The Mechanics of Yenagoa, into a full-length novel (of the same name, retaining the promise of the same wild and suspenseful ride).
T.J. Benson’s stories have appeared in Catapult, Transition, and more. The Madhouse, his richly-written and dreamscape-y first novel, will be published in Nigeria by Masobe Books in 2020.
Angel Patricks Amegbe, poet and psychologist, debuts with The Days of Silence a deceptively gentle coming-of-age novel about the resilience of a family of women.
Othuke Ominiabohs, playwright and novelist, will take readers on an intense and spiritual journey in Aviara, a novel about the travails of Anthony Mukoro, the flawed hero from his first and well-traveled novel, Odufa.
Specific release dates (and publicity schedules) for each book will be announced in due course, according to the publisher. For more information, visit the Masobe Books website, www.masobebooks.com.