With Radio Sunrise, Anietie Isong Is the First Nigerian Winner of the McKitterick Prize

Anietie Isong’s novel Radio Sunrise has won the 2018 McKitterick Prize, making him the first Nigerian to take home the award. Anietie received the prize at the Authors’ Awards ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London, attended by over 400 guests from across the publishing industry.

In a review of the novel published by us, Kufre Usanga writes that the novel:

unequivocally addresses unethical journalism. The novel charts Ifiok’s descent from ethical journalism to the status quo after his cultural drama The River (the last surviving cultural drama on Radio) is taken off air due to low funding.

Radio Sunrise might be the first contemporary Nigerian novel to challenge and demand professional integrity from the media in this age of alternate truths and fake news.

Founded in 1990, the £4,000 McKitterick Prize, administered by The Society of Authors, recognizes the first novel by a writer aged over 40. Anietie joins the ranks of Petina Gappah, Helen Dunmore, and Mark Haddon.

Prize judge Aamer Hussein, short story writer and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, had this to say:

It’s a particular pleasure to discover the original, intriguing voice of Anietie Isong. In his brief, deftly-told Radio Sunrise, the author depicts his often hapless protagonist’s sexual mishaps and political travails on a journey to his hometown with a unique blend of humour and poignance. An intriguing and accomplished new novelist.

Anietie, who is a brother to Nollywood filmmaker Emem Isong, stated his excitement. “I wrote Radio Sunrise to help draw attention to a myriad of issues in Nigeria,” he said. “I am thrilled that this resonated with the judges.”