Helen Oyeyemi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Helen Oyeyemi
FRSL
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Helen Oyeyemi in January 2021
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| Born | Helen Oyeyemi 10 December 1984 Ibadan, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Notable works | What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours (2016) |
| Notable awards | PEN Open Book Award |
Helen Oyeyemi is a talented British writer. She is known for her interesting novels and short stories. Helen was born on December 10, 1984. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, which is a special honor for writers.
Contents
About Helen Oyeyemi
Helen was born in Nigeria. When she was four years old, her family moved to Lewisham, a part of South London. She grew up there.
Early Life and Education
Helen showed her writing talent early. She wrote her first novel, The Icarus Girl, while she was still in high school. She was studying for her A-levels at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School at the time. After high school, she went to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, which is part of Cambridge University.
Where Helen Lives Now
Since 2013, Helen Oyeyemi has lived in Prague. Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic.
Helen Oyeyemi's Books and Plays
Helen Oyeyemi has written many popular books. She also had some of her plays performed when she was in college.
Plays Performed in College
While she was at university, two of Helen's plays were performed. These plays were called Juniper's Whitening and Victimese. A company called Methuen later published them in 2014.
First Novels and Awards
In 2007, Bloomsbury published Helen's second novel, The Opposite House. This book was inspired by stories from Cuban mythology. Her third novel, White Is for Witching, came out in May 2009. This book was a finalist for the 2009 Shirley Jackson Award. It also won a 2010 Somerset Maugham Award, which is a prize for young British writers. In 2009, a magazine called Venus Zine named her one of the "25 under 25" women to watch.
Later Works and Recognition
Helen's fourth novel, Mr Fox, was published in June 2011. In 2012, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a very respected group for writers. The next year, in 2013, she was included in the Granta Best of Young British Novelists list. This list highlights some of the best young writers in Britain.
Her fifth novel, Boy, Snow, Bird, was published in 2014. This book was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2014.
Recent Books
In 2016, Helen Oyeyemi released What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours. This book is a collection of short stories. It won the 2016 PEN Open Book Award. This award celebrates great books by authors of color.
Her novel Gingerbread was published on March 5, 2019. Another novel, Peaces, came out on April 1, 2021.
Helen's most recent novel is Parasol Against the Axe. It was published in February 2024. This book is special because it is the first of her books to be set in the Czech Republic. She has lived there for more than ten years.
Helen Oyeyemi as a Judge
Helen Oyeyemi has also helped choose winners for several important book awards.
- In 2015, she was a judge for the Booktrust Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.
- She also served as a judge for the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
- In 2018, Helen was a judge for the International Booker Prize.
- Most recently, in 2023, she was a judge for the Goldsmiths Prize. She worked with other judges like Tom Lee, Maddie Mortimer, and Ellen Peirson-Hagger.
Invited Talks and Lectures
Helen Oyeyemi is often invited to give talks about writing and literature.
- On April 25, 2017, she gave a talk called "Shine or Go Crazy" in Seattle. This talk focused on Korean television dramas. A list of the shows she mentioned was shared after her lecture.
- In 2023, Helen gave the annual New Statesman/Goldsmiths Prize lecture in London. Her topic for this talk was "Trying."
- In 2024, she delivered the Richard Hillary Memorial Lecture at Trinity College, Oxford.
