Niyi Osundare

Biography

Niyi Osundare was born in 1947 in Ikere, Nigeria. A poet, playwright, and essayist, he has published many poetry collections, including Moonsongs (1988) and Random Blues (2011). He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, his master's from the University of Leeds in England, and his doctorate from York University in 1979. Osundare has received several awards, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize (1989 and 1994), the Tchicaya U Tam'si Award for African Poetry, and the Fonlon/Nichols Award for his contributions to African literature and advocacy of freedom of expression. In 2005, he was selected as a Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Letters (NAL). A professor of English at the University of New Orleans, he specializes in African literature, literature of the African diaspora, and literary stylistics.

Birth Date

1947-01-01

Place of Birth

Country of Nationality

Nigeria

Languages Spoken

English

University of Ibadan, University of Leeds, York University

Poetry Collections

If Only the Road Could Talk: Poetic Pereginations in Africa, Asia, and Europe (Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. 2017); City Without People: The Katrina Poems (Boston: Blackwidow Press, 2011); Random Blues (Ibadan: Kraftbooks. 2011); Days (Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books Nigeria. 2007); The Word Is an Egg (Ibadan: Kraftbooks, 2000); Midlife (Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books,1993); Waiting Laughters (Lagos & Oxford: Malthouse Press. 1990); Moonsongs (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1988); The Eye of the Earth (Ibadan: Heinemann, 1986); Village Voices (Ibadan: Evans Brothers,1984); Songs of the Marketplace (Ibadan: New Horn Press,1983)

Sources

Okafor, Chiamaka. “Niyi Osundare Becomes First African Cover Poet for World Poetry Magazine.” Premium Times Nigeria, 20 January 2022, https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/506892-niyi-osundare-becomes-first-african-cover-poet-for-world-poetry-magazine.html. Accessed 9 May 2022.
 
“Niyi Osundare - The Poet.” Niyi Osundare International Poetry Festival, http://niyiosundarepoetryfestival.org/page2.html. Accessed 9 May 2022.
 
“Osundare, Niyi.” The University of New Orleans, https://www.uno.edu/profile/faculty/niyi_osundare. Accessed 9 May 2022.