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Ben Okri

    March 15, 1959

    Ben Okri is a celebrated poet and novelist whose work often draws from his experiences with the political violence and chaos he witnessed during the Nigerian civil war. His early fiction focuses on young men trying to make sense of the disintegration of their families and country. Okri is known for his profound explorations of the human psyche and the spiritual dimensions of life, particularly in his novels that delve into the complex reality of being a 'spirit child.' His writing is characterized by magical realism and a lyrical prose that draws readers into rich, atmospheric worlds.

    Ben Okri
    The Famished Road: Infinite Riches
    Every Leaf a Hallelujah
    Changing Destiny
    Mental Fight
    A Way of Being Free
    African Stories
    • African Stories

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      This collection features 36 remarkable stories from prominent African writers, showcasing a diverse range of voices and styles over the past century. Curated by Ben Okri, a Booker Prize-winning Nigerian poet and novelist, the anthology highlights the richness of African literature and offers readers a profound exploration of the continent's narratives and themes.

      African Stories
      4.4
    • A Way of Being Free

      • 133 pages
      • 5 hours of reading

      In this inspirational volume, the Booker Prize-winning author of THE FAMISHED ROAD makes essays into an art form. The ten pieces in this beautifully crafted collection range from the personal to the analytical, including a meditation on the role of the poet, a study of Picasso's Minotaur, a paean to human freedom in honour of Salman Rushdie, and an appraisal of fellow-Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. Lyrical, imaginative and provocative, A Way Of Being Free confirms Ben Okri's status as one of the most inspiring of contempory writers.

      A Way of Being Free
      4.2
    • Mental Fight

      An Anti-Spell for the 21st Century

      • 68 pages
      • 3 hours of reading

      This epic poem is intended as a celebration of humanity's achievements at the end of this millennium, and a rallying cry for the next. Strongly political, the poem touches on issues of racism, intolerance, and environmental destruction, amongst others.

      Mental Fight
      4.0
    • Changing Destiny

      • 72 pages
      • 3 hours of reading

      Two actors, a thousand characters, and the story of how a kingdom is changed... An epic new adaptation of the 4,000-year-old Egyptian poem about the Warrior King, Sinuhe written by Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri that captures the essence of humanity and the complexities of immigration. This edition of Changing Destiny is published to coincide with the world premiere performance at London's Young Vic Theatre, directed by Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. Ben Okri is a poet, novelist, essayist, short story writer, anthologist, aphorist, and playwright. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction. He has also received many honorary doctorates for his contribution to Literature, and his novel, Astonishing the Gods, was selected as one of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World' Recently, his Grenfell poem, on Channel Four's YouTube page, has received more than 6 million views.

      Changing Destiny
      3.7
    • Every Leaf a Hallelujah

      • 96 pages
      • 4 hours of reading

      In this environmental fairytale made for our times, a little girl must go alone into the forest to find a special flower to cure her sick mother. Written to be read by adults and children, from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road.

      Every Leaf a Hallelujah
      4.0
    • The Famished Road: Infinite Riches

      • 394 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      This is a startling novel about different kinds of riches and different forms of power. It opens another chapter in the adventures of Azaro, the celebrated spirit-child of The Famished Road , winner of the Booker Prize. By turns thunderous and tender, it will resonate in the mind and heart of the reader for a long time.

      The Famished Road: Infinite Riches
      3.7
    • Prayer for the Living

      • 240 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      Topical and timely, Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri's new collection of short stories blur parallel realities and walk the line between darkness and magic. Is what you see all there is? Look again. Playful, frightening, even shocking – the stories in this collection blur the lines between illusion and reality. This is a writer at the height of his power, making the reader think, making them laugh, and sometimes making them want to look away while holding their gaze. Stories here are set in London, in Byzantium, in the ghetto, in the Andes, in a printer's shop in Spain. The characters include a murderer, a writer, a detective, a man in a cave, a man in a mirror, two little boys, a prison door, and the author himself. There are twenty-three stories in all. Each one will make you wonder if what you see in the world is all there is...

      Prayer for the Living
      3.8
    • Dangerous Love

      • 325 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      In the communal world of the compound in which he lives, Omovo has many friends and some enemies, but most important of all there is Ifeyiwa, a beautiful young married woman who he loves with an almost hopeless passion - not because she doesn't return his love, but because they can never be together.

      Dangerous Love
      3.8
    • The famished road

      • 592 pages
      • 21 hours of reading

      Beautifully repackaged at a fantastic price for the limited print run Vintage Booker promotion Azaro is a spirit child who is born only to live for a short while before returning to the idyllic world of his spirit companions. Now he has chosen to stay in the world of the living. This is his story.

      The famished road
      3.8
    • A collection of eight short stories that touch on different aspects of life within Nigeria and in the World at large. Contents: Laughter beneath the bridge Converging city Disparities Incidents at the shrine Masquerades A hidden history Crooked prayer The dream-vendor's August

      Incidents at The Shrine
      3.7