'Pemi Aguda – författare

An electrifying, terrifying collection of literary horror stories from a prize-winning young star of Nigerian writingA FINALIST FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD, THE PEN FAULKNER AWARD, THE LA TIMES ART SEIDENBAUM AWARD AND THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIONS YOUNG FICTION AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING AND THE WORLD FANTASY AWARDS FOR BEST COLLECTIONA BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE DAILY MAIL, ELLE, TIME MAGAZINE AND THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'Thrilling and disturbing ... a triumph' Financial Times'Excellently uncanny' Daily Mail'Terrifying' TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024Exploring the dark borders between psychology and superstition, these feverishly imaginative stories of trauma, betrayal, terror and love lay bare the forces of myth, tradition, gender, sexuality and modernity in Nigerian society. Here are characters cursed by guilt, bound by the ties of ancestors and community; or enchanted by the allure of mysticism and would-be prophets. Powered by a deep empathy, and glinting with humour and insight, they announce a major new literary talent.

The supernatural looms over the grime and sweat of everyday life in Lagos in this dazzling collection of stories from a prize-winning young Nigerian writer.A FINALIST FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITINGLONGLISTED FOR THE PEN FAULKNER AWARDA FINALIST FOR THE LA TIMES ART SEIDENBAUM AWARDA FINALIST FOR THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIONS YOUNG FICTION AWARDA BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE DAILY MAIL, ELLE, TIME MAGAZINE AND THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'Thrilling and disturbing ... a triumph' Financial Times'Excellently uncanny' Daily Mail'Terrifying' TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024The Lagos of these twelve sinister and beguiling stories is multi-faceted, peopled by Pentecostal Christians and exasperated atheists; by tight-knit extended families and struggling single fathers. Here are characters cursed by guilt, bound by the ties of ancestors and community; or enchanted by the allure of mysticism and would-be prophets. There are gossips and party girls - and a schoolboy followed home by a group of tribal masquerades, cloaked in feathers and twinkling beads. Yes, his mother has warned him not to bring strangers home, but he is sure she will understand ... Exploring the dark borders between psychology and superstition, these feverishly imaginative stories of trauma, betrayal, terror and love lay bare the forces of myth, tradition, gender, sexuality and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy, and glinting with humour and insight, they announce a major new literary talent.INCLUDING THE STORY 'BREASTMILK', SHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING 2024

The supernatural looms over the grime and sweat of everyday life in Lagos in this dazzling collection of stories from a prize-winning young Nigerian writer.LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING'Thrilling and disturbing' Financial Times'Excellently uncanny' Daily Mail'You'll find it hard to tear yourself away' Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of UsThe Lagos of these twelve sinister and beguiling stories is multi-faceted, peopled by Pentecostal Christians and exasperated atheists; by tight-knit extended families and struggling single fathers. Here are characters cursed by guilt, bound by the ties of ancestors and community; or enchanted by the allure of mysticism and would-be prophets. There are gossips and party girls - and a schoolboy followed home by a group of tribal masquerades, cloaked in feathers and twinkling beads. Yes, his mother has warned him not to bring strangers home, but he is sure she will understand ... Exploring the dark borders between psychology and superstition, these feverishly imaginative stories of trauma, betrayal, terror and love lay bare the forces of myth, tradition, gender, sexuality and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy, and glinting with humour and insight, they announce a major new literary talent.INCLUDING THE STORY 'BREASTMILK', SHORTLISTED FOR THE CAINE PRIZE FOR AFRICAN WRITING 2024

'DAZZLING' New York Times'A SINGULARLY NAIL-BITING EXPERIENCE' Guardian'STUNNING' Abi Dare, author of The Girl with the Louding VoiceAll across the city, pregnant women are walking into water ...Twenty-three-year-old Yosoye arrives in Lagos ready to start her life. Working for a slick architectural firm, she finds a city of adventure and opportunity. Her new world is one of fancy gallery openings, glamorous friends, and all the shiny potential of the future, encapsulated in projects like Omi City, the brand-new housing development her company is building.But Yosoye's idyllic vision of Lagos soon begins to seem na ve, and its darker, stranger layers trouble her. Something is not right about Omi City, but no-one will give her satisfactory answers. And then, after a chance encounter in her first weeks in Lagos, Yosoye realizes that she is pregnant...A vibrant and atmospheric evocation of modern Lagos, the promises of progress and the mysterious lure of the abyss, One Leg on Earth is a haunting and arresting story from an unmissable new voice in literature.

***ESQUIRE, BEST BOOKS OF 2026***A powerful, lyrical and haunting literary debut. A coming-of-age novel set in modern Lagos, for readers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Julia Armfield.'POWERFUL, DAZZLING, IRRESISTIBLY STRANGE' New York Times'A SINGULARLY NAIL-BITING EXPERIENCE' Guardian'A STUNNING AND LYRICAL LITERARY HORROR NOVEL'Esquire, Best Books of 2026* * * All across the city, pregnant women are walking into water . . . Twenty-three-year-old Yosoye arrives in Lagos ready to start her life. Working for a slick architectural firm, she finds a city of adventure and opportunity. Her new world is one of fancy gallery openings, glamorous friends, and all the shiny potential of the future, encapsulated in projects like Omi City, the brand-new housing development her company is building.But Yosoye's idyllic vision of Lagos soon begins to seem naïve, and its darker, stranger layers trouble her. Something is not right about Omi City, but no-one will give her satisfactory answers. And then, after a chance encounter in her first weeks in Lagos, Yosoye realizes that she is pregnant...A vibrant and atmospheric evocation of modern Lagos, the promises of progress and the mysterious lure of the abyss, One Leg on Earth is a haunting and arresting story from an unmissable new voice in literature.* * * PRAISE FOR ONE LEG ON EARTH . . .'A powerfully eerie portrait of Lagos ... a virtuoso of dread and suspense, Aguda splices eco-horror, cosmic distress and ideas of the monstrous feminine into a singularly nail-biting experience ' Guardian'Powerful, vividly written ... a superb parable of loneliness, greed and desire, full of creeping dread' Marie Claire'Intricately layered, striking, powerful, dazzling, irresistibly strange' New York Times'Marvelous ... a clear-eyed exploration of daughterhood, community, and the human costs of urban development, powered by an immersive portrait of a woman wrestling with the question of whom and what she's willing to sacrifice for the life she wants. This is unforgettable' Publishers Weekly'Lyrical and lovely' People Magazine'A stunning and lyrical literary horror novel set in the city of Lagos, Nigeria' Esquire, the 18 Best Books of 2026'A stunning achievement. Pemi Aguda writes with luminous prose that feels both mystical and human. Brief and powerful, this conceptually daring novel haunted me long after I turned the last page' Abi Daré, author of The Girl with the Louding Voice'One Leg on Earth gripped me from the first page' Ramona Ausubel, author of The Last Animal'Breathtaking! The deliciously suspenseful and immensely human One Leg on Earth caught me in its wave. I adored every word in this book' Gerardo Sámano Córdova, author of Monstrilio'A fearless work of fiction in the lineage of Toni Morrison's Sula' Megan Giddings, author of The Women Could Fly'Sharp, funny, bold, nuanced, utterly absorbing debut' Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Here Comes the Sun'One Leg on Earth is an enchantment' Shannon Sanders, author of Company'A haunting, beautiful novel, written with exquisite care. 'Pemi Aguda writes like she knows magic and, based on this book, I believe it' Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women'One Leg On Earth is a dizzying tale of the gluttony of industry, the intrigue of newness, and the maddening, frightening and ever-growing desire for belonging. Aguda is a brilliant storyteller, her prose rich with complicated beauty' Rochelle Dowden-Lord, author of Lush'Dark fantasy meets workplace drama in this immersive debut novel and delightfully fresh take on the pregnancy-as-horror-story trope... ' Oprah Daily

***ESQUIRE, BEST BOOKS OF 2026***A powerful, lyrical and haunting literary debut. A coming-of-age novel set in modern Lagos, for readers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Julia Armfield.'POWERFUL, DAZZLING, IRRESISTIBLY STRANGE'New York Times'A SINGULARLY NAIL-BITING EXPERIENCE'Guardian'A STUNNING AND LYRICAL LITERARY HORROR NOVEL'Esquire, Best Books of 2026* * *All across the city, pregnant women are walking into water . . .Twenty-three-year-old Yosoye arrives in Lagos ready to start her life. Working for a slick architectural firm, she finds a city of adventure and opportunity. Her new world is one of fancy gallery openings, glamorous friends, and all the shiny potential of the future, encapsulated in projects like Omi City, the brand-new housing development her company is building.But Yosoye's idyllic vision of Lagos soon begins to seem naïve, and its darker, stranger layers trouble her. Something is not right about Omi City, but no-one will give her satisfactory answers. And then, after a chance encounter in her first weeks in Lagos, Yosoye realizes that she is pregnant...A vibrant and atmospheric evocation of modern Lagos, the promises of progress and the mysterious lure of the abyss, One Leg on Earth is a haunting and arresting story from an unmissable new voice in literature.* * *PRAISE FOR ONE LEG ON EARTH . . .'A powerfully eerie portrait of Lagos ... a virtuoso of dread and suspense, Aguda splices eco-horror, cosmic distress and ideas of the monstrous feminine into a singularly nail-biting experience ' Guardian'Powerful, vividly written ... a superb parable of loneliness, greed and desire, full of creeping dread' Marie Claire'Intricately layered, striking, powerful, dazzling, irresistibly strange' New York Times'Marvelous ... a clear-eyed exploration of daughterhood, community, and the human costs of urban development, powered by an immersive portrait of a woman wrestling with the question of whom and what she's willing to sacrifice for the life she wants. This is unforgettable' Publishers Weekly'Lyrical and lovely' People Magazine'A stunning and lyrical literary horror novel set in the city of Lagos, Nigeria' Esquire, the 18 Best Books of 2026'A stunning achievement. Pemi Aguda writes with luminous prose that feels both mystical and human. Brief and powerful, this conceptually daring novel haunted me long after I turned the last page' Abi Daré, author of The Girl with the Louding Voice'One Leg on Earth gripped me from the first page' Ramona Ausubel, author of The Last Animal'Breathtaking! The deliciously suspenseful and immensely human One Leg on Earth caught me in its wave. I adored every word in this book' Gerardo Sámano Córdova, author of Monstrilio'A fearless work of fiction in the lineage of Toni Morrison's Sula' Megan Giddings, author of The Women Could Fly'Sharp, funny, bold, nuanced, utterly absorbing debut' Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Here Comes the Sun'One Leg on Earth is an enchantment' Shannon Sanders, author of Company'A haunting, beautiful novel, written with exquisite care. 'Pemi Aguda writes like she knows magic and, based on this book, I believe it' Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women'One Leg On Earth is a dizzying tale of the gluttony of industry, the intrigue of newness, and the maddening, frightening and ever-growing desire for belonging. Aguda is a brilliant storyteller, her prose rich with complicated beauty' Rochelle Dowden-Lord, author of Lush'Dark fantasy meets workplace drama in this immersive debut novel and delightfully fresh take on the pregnancy-as-horror-story trope... ' Oprah Daily

In this beguiling collection of twelve imaginative stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, ’Pemi Aguda dramatizes the tension between our yearning to be individuals and the ways we are haunted by what came before.In “Manifest,” a woman sees the ghost of her abusive mother in her daughter’s face. Shortly after, the daughter is overtaken by wicked and destructive impulses. In “Breastmilk,” a wife forgives her husband for his infidelity. Months later, when she is unable to produce milk for her newborn, she blames herself for failing to uphold her mother’s feminist values and doubts her fitness for motherhood. In “Things Boys Do,” a trio of fathers finds something unnatural and unnerving about their infant sons. As their lives rapidly fall to pieces, they begin to fear that their sons are the cause of their troubles. And in “24, Alhaji Williams Street,” a teenage boy lives in the shadow of a mysterious disease that’s killing the boys on his street.These and other stories in Ghostroots map emotional and physical worlds that lay bare the forces of family, myth, tradition, gender, and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy and glinting with humor, they announce a major new literary talent.

Something is haunting the pregnant women of Lagos. Across the city, they are walking into water . . . and drowning.Twenty-three-year-old Yosoye arrives in Lagos ready to start her life. Working for a slick architectural firm, she finds a city of adventure and opportunity. Her new world is one of fancy gallery openings, glamorous friends, and all the shiny potential of the future, encapsulated in projects like Omi City, the ultra-luxury development her company is building, a symbol of the dawn of a brighter Lagos.But Yosoye’s idyllic vision of Lagos soon begins to seem naive, and its darker, stranger layers trouble her. Something is not right about Omi City, and as construction speeds ahead, stories of strange deaths in the city’s open waters reach a fever pitch. And then, after a chance encounter, Yosoye discovers she is pregnant . . . a revelation which puts her on a collision course with an inexplicable force that is as seductive as it is deadly. A masterwork by a writer hailed as “an astonishing talent” (Lauren Groff), One Leg on Earth is an ambitious novel like no other: a coming-of-age story, an uncanny exploration of motherhood, and a chilling vision of the dark side of progress.

In this beguiling collection of twelve imaginative stories set in Lagos, Nigeria, ’Pemi Aguda dramatizes the tension between our yearning to be individuals and the ways we are haunted by what came before.In “Manifest,” a woman sees the ghost of her abusive mother in her daughter’s face. Shortly after, the daughter is overtaken by wicked and destructive impulses. In “Breastmilk,” a wife forgives her husband for his infidelity. Months later, when she is unable to produce milk for her newborn, she blames herself for failing to uphold her mother’s feminist values and doubts her fitness for motherhood. In “Things Boys Do,” a trio of fathers finds something unnatural and unnerving about their infant sons. As their lives rapidly fall to pieces, they begin to fear that their sons are the cause of their troubles. And in “24, Alhaji Williams Street,” a teenage boy lives in the shadow of a mysterious disease that’s killing the boys on his street.These and other stories in Ghostroots map emotional and physical worlds that lay bare the forces of family, myth, tradition, gender, and modernity in Nigerian society. Powered by a deep empathy and glinting with humor, they announce a major new literary talent.