Helon Habila, born in 1967 in Kaltungo, Nigeria, is a writer and poet. After studying English literature, he worked as an editor in Lagos for the daily newspaper Vanguard. Following the publication of his first novel »Waiting for an Angel« (Hamish Hamilton, London, 2002) he devoted himself entirely to his work as a writer. Habila has received several prizes for his prose, including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. He has lived in the USA since 2005. He teaches creative writing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.