Uwem Akpan has a debut novel coming out in November 2021. The novel is titled, New York, My Village, and it is being published by WW Norton. This is Akpan’s official work ever since he published the acclaimed story collection, Say You’re One of Them.
Akpan’s debut novel is set in New York City. It is the story of Ekong Udousoro, a Nigerian editor who, in a bid to come to terms with the disturbing recent history of his homeland, decides to curate a collection of stories that revolves around the Biafran War of 1967-70. Udousoro is excited when he gets a publishing fellowship in Manhattan, where, at once, he is learning how the publishing business works and working on his project. However, things are not always as they seem. Udousoro is soon exposed to the very uncomfortable baseline of the publishing business—particularly the racism.
WW Norton described the novel as a “dearing first novel in the great picaresque tradition.” Akpan said the novel came from his fascination with New York City. “New York City has always mystified me since I first spent two weeks in the Bronx in 1993,” he writes on his website. “It was only when I lived in Manhattan in 2013 that I began to understand the metro system, to visit the different neighborhoods, to enjoy the endless ethnic dishes. It didn’t also take long before I discovered the city’s crazy underbelly.”
Uwem Akpan is a Catholic priest, and currently teaches in the University of Florida’s MFA Program. His debut collection, Say You’re One of Them, won the Commonwealth Prize (Africa Region), the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the Open Book Prize. It was the 2009 Oprah Book Club selection. The book has been translated into 12 languages.
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