Ben Okri was born 1959 in Minna, Nigeria, and is a writer, essayist, playwright and poet. He spent his childhood between London and Lagos. He studied literature at the University of Essex in Colchester. His works have been translated into 26 languages. Okri has won the Booker Prize in 1991 for his novel "The Famished Road" and was awarded the Order of Officer of the British Empire for his literary merits. His latest books, "The Freedom Artist" (Head of Zeus, London) and "Prayer for the Living" (Head of Zeus, London) were published in 2019. Okri lives in London.
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