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About Me

"Every day should be a unique work of art"

The light in us is greater
Than the dark

The official MySpace page for Ben Okri.

Ben is a poet and novelist. He was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria, to an Igbo mother and Urhobo father, but now lives in London.

He has published 11 books, including The Famished Road, as well as collections of poetry and essays. His latest book, Starbook, was published by Ebury Press in August, 2007.

Ben is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and in 2000 was awarded the OBE. Translated into more than 20 languages, Ben has been awarded numerous international prizes including the Booker Prize in 1991, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa, the Aga Kahn Prize for Fiction, and was presented with a Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum.

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

Those who are interested in the alchemy of life.

Praise for Starbook

"Starbook’s language is so intensely lyrical it reads like a shaman’s incantation."
Melissa McLements, Financial Times

"The basic premise of the novel is a simple one: boy meets girl, tries to find ways to woo her, fights off a rival and travels with her into eternity. But this most simple of plots belies the extraordinary messages and hidden meanings waiting to be extracted from Okri's text...a profound philosophical meditation upon the transience of life and the desperate need that human beings have to achieve immortality by creating great masterpieces....this book pushes the experience of reading far beyond any usual boundaries....profoundly passionate, moving and intense"
Scotland on Sunday

"Okri's is an art that sometimes communicates before it is understood. It echoes the Bible in its conundrums. It rhymes like Shakespeare in its couplets. It often evokes Judaism's Book of Life. And like the New Testament, it advocates that salvation stems from pure love. Its narrator cautions against our immediate understanding. Understanding may stop you from seeing, he suggests. To find "that which is truer" we must first be prepared to abandon that which we cling to, that which blinds us."
Tom Adair, The Scotsman

My Blog

I sing a new freedom

I sing a new freedomFreedom with discipline.We need freedom to rise higher.Be true to yourselfIn the follies of our times.Become what you areIn this era of economic crimes.Only the free in spiritWill ...
Posted by on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 02:27:00 GMT

I sing a new freedom

Ben Okri has written an exclusive poem for Twitter. Inspired by the 140 character per post restriction, the poem will be posted upone line per day.  The first line has just gone live, and you can keep...
Posted by on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:41:00 GMT

Tales of Freedom

Tales of Freedom, the new book by Ben Okri, is out in AprilIt is a haunting necklace of images which flash and sparkle as the light shines on them. Quick and stimulating to read, but slowly burning in...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:18:00 GMT

A dream can compel people to hold their breath in wonder

Something must be wrong with me. I don't like flying. I don't write with a computer. I'm a peculiar traveller. I prefer to minimise the ways that I can be unduly affected, and yet here I am setting ou...
Posted by on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:11:00 GMT

Starbook out in paperback

Starbook is coming out in paperback on July 3rd.  If you pre-order it through www.rbooks.co.uk, you can get a 25% discount.  Enter OKRI in the promotional code box at the checkout. ...
Posted by on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:51:00 GMT

Do you see your books ever being translated into film?

Add to My Profile | More Videos
Posted by on Mon, 03 Sep 2007 01:12:00 GMT

Have you enjoyed doing readings again?

Have you enjoyed doing readings again? Add to My Profile | More Videos
Posted by on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:42:00 GMT

What have you been doing since your last book?

Ben Okri talks about what he has been doing between the publication of his last book and his new book, Starbook Add to My Profile | More Videos
Posted by on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:20:00 GMT

Ben Okri discusses his approach to writing

Ben Okri discusses his approach to writing Add to My Profile | More Videos
Posted by on Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:14:00 GMT

Reviews from The Edinburgh Festival

    Ben was up in Edinburgh at the festival last week and had some glowing reviews from his talks there.  Here are a few of some of the best."Okri was a magnificent speaker, replyi...
Posted by on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:39:00 GMT