Nigerian writer and visual artist Victor Ehikhamenor is celebrating the launch of Central Hotel, his first fiction collection, on Saturday, 31 October. Published by Masobe Books, the collection brings together eleven interconnected stories, each illustrated with his own pencil drawings. Nigerian writer and poet Wana Udobang will host a reading and conversation, with Ehikhamenor sharing the characters and experiences behind the stories.

The stories move between Nigeria and the diaspora, returning to the same characters and places and following them from childhood into adulthood. Masobe describes the collection as a mosaic of one community and its offshoots, tracing lives shaped by military rule, migration, religion, family, power, and survival. In “I Put a Spell on You,” Halimat leaves her faith for intimacy in America and finds that love can also be a structure of control. In “Madam,” young women are trafficked across borders under the promise of education and turned into debt. In the title story, two boys arrive at a faded roadside hotel expecting a rite of passage and learn that lost innocence does not grow back the same.

Early readers have been warm. E.C. Osondu, winner of the Caine Prize, says the stories “walk gently but they carry a big stick.” A. Igoni Barrett calls Ehikhamenor a “maestro of reinvention,” writing about a globalised culture rooted in African ways of inhabiting history. Sarah Ladipo Manyika praises the “painter’s eye” he brings to the page, and Chris Abani points to a viscerality and urgency that are rare in literary circles. Maud Casey calls the collection clear-eyed about the consequences of colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy, while praising its tenderness, love, and playful wit.

Several of the stories have appeared elsewhere. “The Supreme Command” received a Highly Commended Award from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, “Who Will Bury the Dead” ran in Wasafiri, “Passport to Heaven” in Farafina, and “A Picture from Ireland” in AGNI. “Madam” was shown alongside Ehikhamenor’s Postcards from Italy drawings at the 56th Venice Biennale.

Born in Nigeria, Ehikhamenor is an artist, photographer, and writer who has built a career on the global art stage, including the Apollo 40 award. His literary roots go back to a BA in English and Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. His fiction and essays have appeared in outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, BBC, and CNN Online. He returns to book-length literature 14 years after Excuse Me!, his collection of satirical essays, which is a recommended text at two Nigerian universities. He is also founder and creative director of Angels and Muse in Lagos, a creative residency devoted to contemporary African art and literature.

The launch takes place at the John Randle Centre, Lagos Island. The 276-page hardback book will be available from 30 October.

Preorder here.