Lola Shoneyin – författare

A WATERSTONES BEST POLITICS BOOK OF 2024This is an exceptional moment for democracy.In the year of elections, read Margaret Atwood, Mary Beard, Lea Ypi, Elif Shafak and more on what democracy means - and why it matters. In 2024, nearly half the world will take part in a national election, with billions heading to the polls. It's a thrilling, unprecedented opportunity for change - yet democracy is also under threat.Women are at the forefront of the fight for democratic rights, as well as being the most vulnerable when those rights disappear. Here, eleven extraordinary women - leaders, philosophers, historians, writers and activists - explore democracy's power to uplift our societies. Between its ancient origins and its modern challenges, they share a vision for a better future - one we can build together.

Named one of the five best dark comedy novels of all time by Oyinkan BraithwaiteLonglisted for the Women's Prize for FictionComing soon to Netflix'Comic, tragic, topical and entertaining in equal measure' - Bernardine EvaristoTo the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore considered a great prize in Nigeria, but even graduates must produce children and her husband's persistent bellyache is a sign that things are not as they should be. She only wants to escape to a quiet life, but the others disapprove of the newest, youngest, cleverest addition to the family. Treated with respect by her husband, she is viewed with suspicion by her seniors - who fear she may unlock their well-guarded secret. Through the voices of Baba Segi and his four wives, Lola Shoneyin weaves a vibrant story of love, secrets and a family like every other - happy and unhappy, truthful and not, sometimes kind, sometimes competitive, always bound by blood, and the past.

To define Nigeria is to tell a half-truth. Many have tried, but most have concluded that it is impossible to capture the true scope and significance of Africa’s most populous nation through words or images. Yet here, through personal essays from 24 of its writers, a more accurate picture comes into view, and in her essay, Lola Shoneyin highlights the importance of memory in carving out our national identities from the moment we’re born.Powerful, lyrical and entirely unforgettable, the essays from OF THIS OUR COUNTRY weave together a living portrait of Nigeria, one that is as beautiful as it is complex.

"Alternately funny, shocking, and sad" this novel about female rivalry and polygamy is "a complex depiction of family and culture in modern-day Nigeria." —Sacramento Book ReviewWhen Baba Segi woke up with a bellyache for the sixth day in a row, he knew it was time to do something drastic about his fourth wife''s childlessness.For Baba Segi, his collection of wives and gaggle of children are a symbol of prosperity, success, and a validation of his manhood. All is well in this patriarchal home until Baba arrives with wife number four: a quiet, college-educated, young woman named Bolanle. Jealous and resentful of this interloper who is stealing their husband''s attention, Baba Segi''s three wives begin to plan her downfall. How dare she offer to teach them to read, they whisper. They vow to teach her a lesson instead. What they don''t know is that Bolanle hides a terrible secret—a secret that unwittingly exposes the deception and lies upon Baba Segi''s household rests.A stirring tale of men and women, mothers and children, servitude and independence, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi''s Wives illuminates the common threads that connect the experiences of all women: the hardships they bear, their struggle to define themselves, and their fierce desire to protect those they love."A magical writer . . . [A] delicious story." — Huffington Post"Gripping. . . . Shoneyin masterfully disentangles four distinct stories, only to subtly expose what is common among them." —Publishers Weekly"Book clubs and readers in general interested in exploring dynamic characters and events . . . will find this a strong choice." —Library Journal

Longlisted for the Women''s Prize for FictionComing soon to Netflix''Comic, tragic, topical and entertaining in equal measure'' - Bernardine EvaristoTo the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore considered a great prize in Nigeria, but even graduates must produce children and her husband''s persistent bellyache is a sign that things are not as they should be. She only wants to escape to a quiet life, but the others disapprove of the newest, youngest, cleverest addition to the family. Treated with respect by her husband, she is viewed with suspicion by her seniors - who fear she may unlock their well-guarded secret. Through the voices of Baba Segi and his four wives, Lola Shoneyin weaves a vibrant story of love, secrets and a family like every other - happy and unhappy, truthful and not, sometimes kind, sometimes competitive, always bound by blood, and the past.