Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Last updated
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah 5182908.jpg
Adjei-Brenyah in 2019
Bornc. 1991 (age 3233) [1] [2]
The Bronx, New York
LanguageEnglish
Alma mater University at Albany, SUNY, Syracuse University
GenreSpeculative fiction
Notable works

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is an American speculative fiction author who wrote the short story collection Friday Black (2018) and his debut novel Chain-Gang All-Stars (2023). He was named one of "5 under 35 Authors" by the National Book Foundation in 2018 [3] and won the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award in 2019. [4] [5] Chain-Gang All-Stars was shortlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction [6] and The New York Times named it one of the ten best books of 2023. [7]

Contents

Early life and education

Adjei-Brenyah was born in the Bronx, New York but grew up in Spring Valley, New York. Both of his parents are from Ghana. [8] His father was a defense attorney and his mother was a kindergarten teacher. [1] Adjei-Brenyah started writing from a young age and wrote for his high school's literature magazine. [2]

Adjei-Brenyah went to University at Albany, SUNY for his undergraduate degree, where he learned from Lynne Tillman. [2] [8] He later attended the graduate writing program at Syracuse University with the goal to study with George Saunders in the creative writing program. Saunders later became his thesis adviser and mentor. [1] Adjei-Brenyah later went on to teach in the same program. [8]

After college, Adjei-Brenyah became interested in prison abolition and worked at the Rockland Coalition to End the New Jim Crow. [2]

Writing career

Adjei-Brenyah's published works are set in near-future dystopias. They often explore the topics of exploitation, capitalism, and the societal acceptance of violence. [1]

Friday Black

Adjei-Brenyah's debut book is a collection of 12 satirical short stories exploring many topics, including racism in modern-day America, consumerism, school shootings, and generational violence. [8] Vulture described the book as "an irreverent, genre-bending approach to ripped-from-the-headlines subject matter". [2]

Chain-Gang All-Stars

Adjei-Brenyah's first novel is set in a dystopian America where imprisoned people have the choice to leave prison by joining a gladiatorial system called the "CAPE" or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program where they take part in televised duels to the death as part of alliances called Chain Gangs. If they manage to survive three years of battles, then they are freed. [9] [10] The book has a large cast and is written from the perspective of multiple people participating in the program, as well as activists fighting against it, fans, and the people running it. [9]

The book is a fictional novel but features many footnotes citing current laws and factual statistics about the incarceration system in the United States. [2] [11]

Chain-Gang All-Stars started as a short story for inclusion in Friday Black but became too long. [2] Adjei-Brenyah has said that he developed it into a novel because he felt he needed to spend more time exploring the main character, Loretta Thurwar. [10]

Chain-Gang All-Stars was shortlisted for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction. [6] [12] [13] [14] [15] Kirkus Reviews named it one of the best books of 2023. [16] The New York Times named it one of the 10 best books of 2023. [17]

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

YearAwardWorkResultRef.
2018 National Book Foundation: 5 Under 35 Friday Black Won [3]
National Book Critics Circle: John Leonard Award for Best First BookNominated (finalist) [18]
2019PEN/Jean Stein Book AwardWon [4] [19]
Aspen Words Literary Prize Nominated (shortlist) [20]
Dylan Thomas Prize Nominated (shortlist) [21]
2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing Won [22]
2023 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize Chain-Gang All-Stars Nominated (shortlist) [23]
National Book Award for Fiction Nominated (shortlist) [24]
Goodreads Choice Award for Science FictionNominated [25]
Goodreads Choice Award for Debut NovelNominated [26]

Related Research Articles

Stacey D'Erasmo is an American author and literary critic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Crumey</span>

Andrew Crumey is a novelist and former literary editor of the Edinburgh newspaper Scotland on Sunday. His works of literary fiction incorporate elements of speculative fiction, historical fiction, philosophical fiction and Menippean satire. Brian Stableford has called them "philosophical fantasies". The Spanish newspaper El Mundo called Crumey "one of the most interesting and original European authors of recent years."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reference and User Services Association awards</span> Annual annual for books and media

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is an organization that aims to "educate, empower, and inspire its members to advance the evolution of the profession and better serve users in a continuously changing information society." It is a division of the American Library Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Johnson (writer)</span> American novelist and short story writer (born 1967)

Adam Johnson is an American novelist and short story writer. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2012 novel, The Orphan Master's Son, and the National Book Award for his 2015 story collection Fortune Smiles. He is also a professor of English at Stanford University with a focus on creative writing.

The William Saroyan International Prize for Writing is a biennial literary award for fiction and nonfiction in the spirit of William Saroyan by emerging writers. It was established by Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation to "encourage new or emerging writers rather than recognize established literary figures;" the prize being $12,500.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tosca Lee</span> American author of Christian fiction

Tosca Lee is a bestselling American author known for her historical novels and thrillers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Beth Keane</span> American writer of Irish parentage (born 1979)

Mary Beth Keane is an American writer of Irish parentage. She is the author of The Walking People (2009),Fever (2013), and Ask Again, Yes (2019). In 2011 she was named one of the National Book Foundation's "5 under 35," and in 2015 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fiction.

Colleen Hoover is an American author who primarily writes novels in the romance and young adult fiction genres. She is best known for her 2016 romance novel It Ends with Us. Many of her works were self-published before being picked up by a publishing house. As of October 2022, Hoover has sold approximately 20 million books. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Alexander</span> American writer of poetry and childrens fiction (born 1968)

Kwame Alexander is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.

Amie Kaufman is an Australian author. She has authored New York Times bestselling and internationally bestselling science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She is known for the Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed, which she co-authored with Meagan Spooner; for her series The Illuminae Files, co-authored with Jay Kristoff; and for her solo series, Elementals. Her books have been published in over 35 countries.

Laura Ruby is the author of twelve books, including Bone Gap, winner of the 2016 Printz Award and finalist for the 2015 National Book Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Thomas</span> American author (born 1988)

Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an American author most known for her novels The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & the Six, One True Loves, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto is Back.

Rebecca F. Kuang is an American fantasy novelist. Her first novel, The Poppy War, was released in 2018, followed by the sequels The Dragon Republic in 2019 and The Burning God in 2020. Kuang released a stand-alone novel, Babel, or the Necessity of Violence, in 2022. Her newest book is Yellowface, a satirical novel which was published in 2023. Kuang holds graduate degrees in Sinology from Magdalene College, Cambridge and from University College, Oxford, and is currently studying at Yale University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Orange</span> American writer (born 1982)

Tommy Orange is an American novelist and writer from Oakland, California. His first book, There There (2018), was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and received the 2019 American Book Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Acevedo</span> Dominican-American poet and author

Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican-American poet and author. In September 2022, the Poetry Foundation named her the year's Young People's Poet Laureate.

<i>Friday Black</i> Book by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Friday Black is the 2018 debut book by author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. The collection of short stories explores themes surrounding black identity as it relates to a range of contemporary social issues. The stories are set in a variety of twisted near-future and dystopian settings. The book received an overall positive reception, including the naming of Adjei-Brenyah as one of the "5 Under 35 Authors" for 2018 by the National Book Foundation.

<i>Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky</i> 2019 childrens fantasy and mythology novel by Kwame Mbalia

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a 2019 middle grade fantasy-adventure novel written by Kwame Mbalia. Published under the "Rick Riordan Presents" imprint, the novel is focused on African American folktales and West African mythology. The story follows teenager Tristan Strong, who is struggling with guilt after his best friend's death. Tristan accidentally creates a rift that transports him to Alke, a parallel world where myths are real, and must survive the evil forces that threaten Alke's people and discover his own abilities.

Emily Henry is an American author who is best known for her New York Times bestselling romance novels Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers, and Happy Place.

Chain-Gang All-Stars is a 2023 novel by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. It was a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction, as well as other awards.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Borrelli, Christopher (2023-05-24). "'Chain-Gang' author Adjei-Brenyah on writing about violence". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rao, Mallika (2023-04-25). "Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Is Asking the Hard Questions". Vulture. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  3. 1 2 "5 Under 35". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  4. 1 2 "Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  5. "On protecting the magic of your creative work". thecreativeindependent.com. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  6. 1 2 Harris, Elizabeth A. (October 3, 2023). "Here Are the Finalists for the 2023 National Book Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  7. The New York Times Books Staff (November 28, 2023). "The 10 Best Books of 2023". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Alter, Alexandra (2018-10-19). "'Friday Black' Uses Fantasy and Blistering Satire to Skewer Racism and Consumer Culture". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  9. 1 2 Bellot, Gabrielle (2023-05-23). "Chain-Gang All-Stars Is Gladiator Meets the American Prison System". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  10. 1 2 Parham, Jason. "Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Is the New Maestro of the Genre Novel". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  11. Shariatmadari, David (2023-07-08). "Author Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah on policing in America: 'It's a kind of poison'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  12. "The 2023 National Book Awards Longlist: Fiction". The New Yorker. September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  13. "Here's the longlist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction". Literary Hub. September 15, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  14. Nguyen, Sophia (October 3, 2023). "Here are the finalists for the 2023 National Book Awards". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  15. "The End of the World, According to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah". Esquire. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  16. "Best of 2023". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved 2023-11-21.
  17. Staff, The New York Times Books (November 28, 2023). "The 10 Best Books of 2023". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  18. Ciabattari, Jane (2019-01-22). "National Book Critics Circle Announces Finalists for 2018 Awards". National Book Critics Circle. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  19. Schaub, Michael (2019-02-27). "PEN America presents literary awards to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Nafissa Thompson-Spires". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  20. "2019 PRIZE". Aspen Words. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  21. Mem: 10071784. "2019 Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist announced | Books+Publishing" . Retrieved 2023-07-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. University, © Stanford; Stanford; California 94305. "Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Jennifer Croft awarded the 2020 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing by Stanford Libraries". Stanford Libraries. Retrieved 2023-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. "Waterstones debut fiction prize shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  24. "The ten contenders for the National Book Award for Fiction". National Book Foundation. 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  25. "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Science Fiction!". Goodreads . Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  26. "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Debut Novel!". Goodreads . Retrieved 2023-12-25.