Pemi Aguda’s Ghostroots Lands on the National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction
Set against the vivid backdrop of Lagos, Pemi Aguda’s Ghostroots delves into the lives of ordinary individuals navigating extraordinary situations. Across twelve compelling stories, readers encounter a tapestry of human experiences—infidelity, enigmatic illnesses, fateful accidents, and haunting familial secrets. While deeply rooted in the everyday struggles of its characters, the collection introduces speculative elements that dissolve the boundaries between the tangible and the supernatural.
Chosen from an impressive pool of 473 submissions, Ghostroots has earned its place on the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction longlist. This achievement places Aguda in the spotlight as a representative of African literature, an accomplishment adjudicated by a distinguished panel including Jamie Ford, Lauren Groff (Chair), Zeyn Joukhadar, Chawa Magaña, and Reginald McKnight.
Since its inception in 1950, the National Book Awards have stood as a pinnacle of literary recognition in the United States, managed by the National Book Foundation. Its legacy boasts a pantheon of luminaries such as Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, Elizabeth Bishop, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, to name a few. The Awards currently honor exceptional works in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature, celebrating stories that redefine the literary landscape.
Aguda, born and raised in Nigeria, continues to live and work in Lagos as an architect while honing her craft as a writer. Her storytelling talent has been recognized internationally, beginning with her win of the 2015 Writivism Short Story Prize. She was also the inaugural recipient of the Writivism Stellenbosch University writing residency. Her work has graced the pages of Omenana Magazine, Saraba, The Kalahari Review, and Black Fox Literary Magazine, among other prestigious publications and anthologies.
The National Book Award finalists will be announced on October 1, 2024, with the winners unveiled during the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony on November 20, 2024. For more information, visit the National Book Awards website.
Congratulations to Pemi Aguda for this extraordinary milestone!