Soji Cole is a Nigerian academic, playwright and author. He is the 2018 recipient of the Nigeria Prize for Literature. His research areas are on drama therapy, trauma studies and cross-cultural performance research. His book, ''Embers'' was listed as one of the best Nigerian books for 2018 by Dailytrust Newspaper.

Early life and education

Born on 27 December 1976, Olusoji Henry Cole was born into the family of Mr Gbadebo John Cole and Mrs Gbemisola Adunni Cole at Mushin Oloosa, Lagos, Nigeria Cole is an alumnus of

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

. He was also a visiting fellow at

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Roehampton was formerly an e ...

Writing career

Cole disclosed to '' Dailytrust'' that writing short stories was how he got his first publication. Speaking on challenges of emerging authors in Nigeria, he singled financial constraints and infrastructural decline as factors diminishing the litOloerary drive in the country. He also recounted how electricity was a huge challenge while writing his novels. In an interview with The Sun, Cole recalled that he began writing while in elementary school just to feel among his age-groups. He also narrated how ''My Little Stream'' became his first published novel. He published his first play, ''Maybe Tomorrow'' (2014), a story based on the plight of the people in the

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitical ...

. The book was long-listed for the 2014 Nigeria Prize for Literature, and won the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) award. In October 2018, Cole book ''Embers'' emerged best out of 89 entries that qualified for the 2018 Nigeria Prize for Literature. The book was on the impact of religious and ethnic violence on the living conditions of persons in

Northern Nigeria Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...

Bibliography

* ''My Little Stream'' (2010) * ''Ghost'' (2014) * ''Bambo Bambo'' (2014) * ''Maybe Tomorrow'' (2014) * ''War Zone'' (2017) * ''Embers''

Recognition

Aside the awards won below, Cole has been shortlisted for

Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa is a pan-African writing prize awarded biennially

and BBC World Playwriting Competition. * African Theater Association (AfTA) Emerging Scholars Prize (2011) * The International Federation for Theater Research New Scholar Prize (2013) * Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Prize for Writing (2014) * Nigeria Prize for Literature (2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Soji University of Ibadan alumni Nigerian writers Nigeria Prize for Literature winners Academic staff of the University of Ibadan Living people Year of birth missing (living people)