Sefi Atta Sefi Atta (born in 1964) is a Nigerian-American novelist, short-story writer, playwright and screenwriter.Sefi Atta – Short bio – Q&A (panellist) – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 27 August 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012. Her books have been translated into many languages, her radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC, and her stage plays have been performed internationally. Awards she has received include the 2006 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and the 2009 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa."Sefi Atta", Myriad Editions.Janine, "New: Acclaimed NOMA Award Winner Sefi Atta’s Latest Novel, A Bit of Difference" , Times Books LIVE, 22 August 2014.
Biography Atta was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in January 1964, to a family of five children. Her father Abdul-Aziz Atta was the Secretary to Federal Government and Head of the Civil Service until his death in 1972, and she was raised by her mother Iyabo Atta.
She attended Queen's College, Lagos, and Millfield School in England. In 1985, she graduated with a B.A. degree from Birmingham University. She qualified as a chartered accountant in England and as CPA in the United States, where she migrated in 1994."Atta, Sefi 1964–", Encyclopedia.com. She earned an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles in 2001.
She is married to Gboyega Ransome-Kuti, a medical doctor, and son of Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, and they have one child, named Temi.
Career Atta graduated from the creative writing program at Antioch University in Los Angeles. Her short stories have appeared in literary journals such as The Los Angeles Review, Mississippi Review and World Literature Today. She has also written essays, and her articles on Lagos and Nigeria have appeared in publications such as Time and Libération. Her books have been translated into several languages. Her first novel, Everything Good Will Come, won the inaugural Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa in 2006. She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.
Atta's Lagos-based production company Atta Girl supports Care to Read, a programme she initiated to earn funds for legitimate charities through staged readings.
Bibliography Novels 2005: Everything Good Will Come, US: Interlink Books, . UK: Myriad Editions, 2010: Swallow, Interlink Books, 2013: A Bit of Difference, Interlink Books, 2019: The Bead Collector, US: Interlink Books, . UK: Myriad Editions, 2022: The Bad Immigrant, Interlink Books,
Short-story collections 2010: News from Home, Interlink Books, 2025: Indigene, Interlink Books,
Children's book 2018: Drama Queen, AAA Press, Nigeria,
Young Adult novel 2024: Good-for-Nothing Girl, Interlink Books,
Play collections 2019: Sefi Atta; Selected Plays, Interlink Books,
Stage play premieres 2005: The Engagement, MUSON Centre, Lagos 2011: The Cost of Living, Lagos Heritage Festival 2011: Hagel auf Zamfara, Theatre Krefeld, Germany 2012: The Naming Ceremony, New World Nigeria, Theatre Royal Stratford East, London 2012: An Ordinary Legacy, The MUSON Festival, MUSON Centre, Lagos 2014: Last Stand, Terra Kulture, Lagos 2018: Renovation, The Jos Festival of Theatre 2019: The Death Road, The Jos Festival of Theatre
Radio plays 2002: The Engagement, BBC Radio 2004: Makinwa's Miracle, BBC Radio 2007: A Free Day, BBC Radio
Screenplays 2021: Swallow, a Netflix original movie based on Sefi Atta's second novel, Swallow, co-written by Atta and Kunle Afolayan, premiered on October 1.
Awards and recognition 2002: Macmillan Writers Prize For Africa, shortlist 2002: BBC African Performance, 2nd Prize 2002: Zoetrope Short Fiction Contest, 3rd Prize 2003: Red Hen Press Short Story Award, 1st prize 2003: Glimmer Train′s Very Short Fiction Award, finalist 2004: BBC African Performance, 2nd Prize 2005: PEN International David TK Wong Prize, 1st Prize 2006: Caine Prize for African Writing, shortlist 2006: Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa 2009: Noma Award for Publishing in Africa 2009: The American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, quarter-finalist 2019: WeScreenPlay Diverse Voices Lab, finalist 2019: The American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition, finalist 2021: The National Playwrights Conference, semifinalist
Visiting Writer 2024: Jackson State University 2006: University of Southern Mississippi 2008: Northwestern University 2010: École Normale Supérieure de Lyon
Atta was on the jury for the 2010 Neustadt International Prize for Literature,Jury & candidates for 2010 Neustadt Prize, announced March 2009. . and a judge for the 2019 Caine Prize for African Writing.
A critical study of her works, Writing Contemporary Nigeria: How Sefi Atta Illuminates African Culture and Tradition, edited by Professor Walter P. Collins, III, was published by Cambria Press in 2015.
References
External links
Sefi Atta's website Ike Anya, "Sefi Atta: Something Good Comes to Nigerian literature", African Writer Magazine.