Tade Thompson is a British-born Nigerian psychiatrist best known for his science fiction novels.
Life and career
Thompson was born in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to Yoruba parents. His family left the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
for
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
in 1976, when Thompson was seven. He grew up in Nigeria, where he studied
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
and
social anthropology
Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...
. He went on to specialise in
psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial psych ...
. He returned to the UK in 1998, where he has remained except for a year spent working in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
. He now lives on the south coast of England.
His novels and short stories have been critically well received. Thompson is a
Nommo Award
The Nommo Award is a literary award presented by ''The African Speculative Fiction Society''. The award is named after the Nommo. The awards recognize works of speculative fiction by Africans, defined as "science fiction, fantasy, stories of magi ...
and a
Kitschies
The Kitschies are British literary prizes presented annually for "the year's most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic" published in the United Kingdom.
Awards and criteria
The Ki ...
Golden Tentacle Award winner. He is a
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death ...
Award finalist as well as nominated for the
Shirley Jackson
Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of her writing career, which spanned over two decades, she composed six novels, two me ...
Award, the
British Science Fiction Award
The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...
, and the Nommo Award.
Thompson is also an illustrator and artist. His novella ''
The Murders of Molly Southbourne
''The Murders of Molly Southbourne'' is a 2017 horror novella by Nigerian-British writer Tade Thompson. The plot covers the life of Molly Southbourne, who is afflicted by a mysterious condition. Every time she bleeds, a doppelgänger will grow ...
'' has been optioned for screen adaptation.
His novel ''
Rosewater
Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavour ...
,'' the first book in the ''Wormwood trilogy'' set in Nigeria won the
Arthur C. Clarke award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...
in 2019.
Bibliography
Novels
The Wormwood Trilogy
* (revised version 2018)
**
*
*
Stand-alone
*
*
Novellas and short fiction
The Molly Southbourne Trilogy
*''
The Murders of Molly Southbourne
''The Murders of Molly Southbourne'' is a 2017 horror novella by Nigerian-British writer Tade Thompson. The plot covers the life of Molly Southbourne, who is afflicted by a mysterious condition. Every time she bleeds, a doppelgänger will grow ...
'' (2017)
*''
The Survival of Molly Southbourne'' (2019)
*''The Legacy of Molly Southbourne'' (2022)
Stand-alone
*"The McMahon Institute for Unquiet Minds" (2005)
*"Slip Road" (2009)
*"Shadow" (2010)
*"Notes from Gethsemane" (2012)
*"Bicycle Girl" (2013)
*"One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sunlight" (2013)
*"Slip Road" (revised) (2014)
*"Budo or, The Flying Orchid" (2014)
*"The Monkey House" (2015)
*"Child, Funeral, Thief, Death" (2015)
*"The Last Pantheon" (2015) (with Nick Wood)
*"Decommissioned" (2016)
*"Household Gods" (2016)
*"The Apologists" (2016)
*"Gnaw" (2016)
*"Bootblack" (2017)
*"Yard Dog" (2018)
*"Jackdaw" (2022)
Poems
*"Komolafe" (2013)
Essays
* ''The Last Word on the Last Pantheon'' (2016) (with Nick Wood)
* ''Please Stop Talking about the 'Rise' of African Science Fiction'' (2018)
Other work
* ''
Omenana Magazine
''Omenana Magazine'' is a speculative fiction online magazine that publishes stories by writers from Africa and the African diaspora. It is edited and published by Fred Chiagozie Nwonwu. It was founded in 2014 by Fred Chiagozie Nwonwu and Chin ...
'' #4 (September 2015) (cover art)
* ''In Morningstar's Shadow: Dominion of the Fallen Stories'' by
Aliette de Bodard
Aliette de Bodard is a French-American speculative fiction writer.
Writing
de Bodard published her first short story in 2006. In 2007, she was a winner of Writers of the Future, and in 2009 was nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best ...
(2015) (cover art)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Tade
Living people
Nigerian artists
English science fiction writers
English psychologists
21st-century Nigerian novelists
Nigerian science fiction writers
Nigerian male novelists
Yoruba novelists
English people of Yoruba descent
Year of birth missing (living people)
English male novelists
Yoruba diaspora
Nigerian psychiatrists
Yoruba physicians
Black speculative fiction authors
Black British writers
Nommo Award winners