Nigerian Author Afabwaje Kurian’s Before the Mango Ripens Shortlisted for 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize

Before the Mango Ripens, the debut novel by Nigeria author Afabwaje Kurian is a finalist for the 2025 Aspen Words Literary Prize.

This Kurian’s first time being shortlisted for a major literary prize! Before the Mango Ripens tells the intertwined stories of three individuals living in the small town of Rabata, where secrets run deep, especially since the arrival of white American missionaries. Jummai, a beautiful and unassuming house girl, Tebeya, a Dublin-educated doctor, and Zanya, a young translator drawn to Rabata by promises of progress. The novel follows their navigate their personal struggles and aspirations even as they find themselves united by a shared desire for change.

The Aspen Words Literary Prize is a $35,000 annual award for an influential work of fiction that addresses a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture. Open to authors of any nationality, the award is one of the largest literary prizes in the United States, and one of the few focused exclusively on fiction with a social impact. Recent winners include Jamil Jan Kochai (2023 for “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak”) and Isabella Hammad (2024 for “Enter Ghost”).