Nuzo Onoh | |
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Born | Old Biafra, Nigeria | September 22, 1962
Occupation | Novelist |
Nationality | Nigerian-British |
Education | Master's degrees in Writing and Law from Warwick University |
Genre | Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Horror, African Horror |
Notable works | The Sleepless (2016); Dead Corpse (2017); A Dance for the Dead (2022) |
Notable awards | Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement 2022 |
Children | Candice Onyeama and Carmen Jija Gyoh |
Nuzo Onoh (born 22 September 1962) is a Nigerian-British writer. She grew up the third of eight children of the late Chief Mrs Caroline Onoh, a former headteacher. Her father was Chief Dr. C.C Onoh, the wealthy landowner, lawyer, politician, and former governor of Anambra State.[1] She experienced the Biafran war with Nigeria (1967–70) as a child refugee within numerous Biafran villages and towns[2] and at the age of 13, she was the victim of an attempted "exorcism" by a local pastor. Due to this experience, she advocates for greater awareness of ritual child abuse in African communities.[3]
On 17 June 2023, Nuzo Onoh became a recipient of the 2022 Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award is conferred on "an individual whose work has substantially influenced the horror genre", and "is an acknowledgment of superior achievement in an entire career."[4] Onoh is the first African and Black-British to win this award.[1]