Quick Facts
Biography
Elnathan John (born 1982) is a Nigerian novelist, satirist and lawyer whose stories have twice been shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing.
Career
Elnathan John was born in Kaduna, in north-west Nigeria, in 1982. He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the Nigerian Law School, where he obtained law degrees.
His short story "Bayan Layi", published in Per Contra, was shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2013. He was shortlisted again for the Caine Prize in 2015 for his short story "Flying".
His writing has been published in The Economist, The Guardian, Per Contra, Hazlitt, ZAM Magazine, Evergreen Review, and Chimurenga's The Chronic.
John's first novel, Born on a Tuesday, was published in 2016 by Cassava Republic Press in 2015 and in the US by Grove Atlantic. Born on a Tuesday was shortlisted in September 2016 for the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature, Africa's largest literary award; it won a Betty Trask Award.
His second book, Be(com)ing Nigerian, A Guide, a collection of satirical pieces, was published by Cassava Republic Press in 2019. His third book, a graphic novel, On Ajayi Crowther Street, is forthcoming from Cassava Republic Press in November 2019.
Elnathan John is a Civitella Ranieri Fellow (2015). He writes a weekly satirical column for the Sunday Trust newspaper and speaks regularly on Nigerian literature, media and politics. He is one of the judges of the 2019 Man Booker International Prize..
Awards and listings
- 2013: Shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing
- 2015: Shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing
- 2016: Shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature
- 2017: Longlisted for the Etisalat Prize for African Literature
- 2017: Shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize
- 2017: WINNER Betty Trask Award
- 2018: Miles Morland Writing Scholarship
