African Authors Have Been Shortlisted for the 2023 British Book Awards

The shortlist for the 33rd British Book Awards just came out and four African authors made it to the list. The authors include Bolu Babalola, Edward Enninful, Tola Okogwu, and Ebinehita Iyere.

The British Book Awards, aka The Nibbies are annually run by the book trade magazine The Bookseller and celebrates the books that have stirred people’s hearts and imaginations, such as those that have started conversations and been part of book clubs and bestseller lists.

We spotted four African authors on the lists:

Bolu Babalola’s Honey & Spice was shortlisted under the category Debut Book of the Year. Read our feature of Babalola’s romance novel here.

Edward Enninful’s A Visible Man made it the Non-Fiction Narrative Book of the Year shortlist. Read our feature of Enninful’s memoir here, or peruse through an excerpt.

Tola Okogwu’s Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun was shortlisted for Children’s Fiction Book of the Year. Okogwu’s children’s book will be a Netflix movie soon, with Will Smith and David Oyelowo as producers.

Ebinehita Iyere’s Girlhood Unfiltered was categorized under the Children’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year shortlist.