Esi Edugyan is a highly accomplished literary fiction author, who was born in Alberta, Canada to Ghanaian parents. She made her fiction writing debut with short stories that were included in various anthologies before publishing her first novel, “The Second Life of Samuel Tyne,” in 2004. This bestselling novel was shortlisted for the prestigious Wright/Hurston Legacy Award, establishing Edugyan as a significant new voice in Canadian literature.
Edugyan’s writing has gained her international recognition, and she has received numerous fellowships in countries including the United States, Scotland, Iceland, Germany, Hungary, Finland, Spain, Belgium, and Canada. She has also been a creative writing professor at the University of Victoria and Johns Hopkins University, further solidifying her position in the literary world.
In addition to her debut novel, Edugyan has published two other highly acclaimed works. “Half Blood Blues,” her second novel, is a captivating story of a mixed-race jazz band in Second World War Berlin and Paris. This novel was shortlisted for several prestigious awards, including the Literary Award for Fiction by the Canadian Governor General, the Trust Fiction Prize by the Rogers Writers’ Trust, and the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. She has also published a non-fiction work, “Dreaming of Elsewhere,” in 2014.
Edugyan has an impressive academic background, holding a Masters in Writing from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. Her work has been featured in several notable anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, and Revival: An Anthology of Black Canadian Writing (2006). She has also been a prominent figure in the international literary community, serving on panels at various festivals and events, including the LesART Literary Festival in Esslingen, Germany, the Budapest Book Fair in Hungary, and Barnard College in New York City. Edugyan currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia.