By Prisca Sam-Duru

The shortlist of three entries has been approved by the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited. This announcement follows an initial shortlist of eleven which was released in July. The three shortlisted entries, in alphabetic order, are  Born on a Tuesday  (Elnathan John), NightDancer  (Chika Unigwe) and Season  of Crimson Blossoms (Abubakar Adam Ibrahim).

According to the Chairman of the Advisory Board, Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo, the eventual winner of the competition will be announced at a World Press Conference in October, 2016.

Born on a Tuesday,  published by Parresia Books, is a story about contemporary northern Nigeria which has over the years experienced religious violence and carnage as seen through the eyes of a young man.  Born on a Tuesday  is Elnathan John’s first novel.  John is a writer, lawyer anda Civitella Ranieri Fellow. He has also been shortlisted twice by the Caine Prize for African Writing.

Chika Unigwe’s  Night Dancer, published by Jonathan Cape,  focuses on the young protagonist’s search for identity and her consequent reappraisal of her mother’s values.  Chika Unigwe is a writer and the 2012 winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, with her novel  On Black Sisters Street.

Season of Crimson Blossoms  is a novel set in conservative northern Nigeria. It focuses on unusual love affairs between characters, as well as ambiguities in religion and politics. Published by Cassava Republic Press,  Season of Crimson Blossoms  is Ibrahim’s debut novel. Ibrahim  has won the BBC African Performance Prize and the Amatu Braide Prize for Prose.

The Chairman of the Panel of Judges is Prof. Dan Izevbaye, awell-respected literary critic and professor of Literature in English.

Other judges are  Asabe Usman Kabir, professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto and Isidore Diala, first winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism and professor of African literature in the Department of English, Imo State University, Owerri.