Abi Daré
Abi Daré | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Daré in 2022 | |
| Born | Abimbola Daré |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality |
|
| Education | |
| Genre | Fiction, young adult |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Notable works | |
Abimbola "Abi" Daré is a Nigerian author and public speaker who now lives in Essex, England.[1] In 2018, she won the Bath Novel Award,[2][3] and was a finalist in the Literary Consultancy Pen Factor 2018.[4] Her debut novel The Girl with the Louding Voice was published in 2020 to critical acclaim.
Biography
[edit]Daré grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, attending the Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls,[5] and moved to the UK for her higher education.[3] Her mother Teju Somorin was the first female professor of taxation in Nigeria.[6]
Daré has a degree in law from the University of Wolverhampton, a Master's in International project management, graduating as best performing student from Glasgow Caledonian University and a Master's with distinction in creative writing from Birkbeck, University of London.[7]
Career
[edit]She has said she began writing fiction on a blog and was the editor of her church magazine.[3] Daré works overseeing app development for a publishing firm.[1][8]
In 2022, Daré was appointed as External Board Member at the BiC Corporate Foundation.[9]
In March 2023, Daré delivered the keynote address at The Social Enterprise Conference at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.[10]
The Girl with the Louding Voice
[edit]Daré's debut novel The Girl with the Louding Voice is a story about a teenage Nigerian girl called Adunni, who becomes a maid and struggles with many things growing up, including her limited education, poverty and her ability to speak up for herself.[8]
The book became a New York Times Bestseller and is a Read with Jenna choice[11] and a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime pick.[12] Published by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder, it was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for first time novelists.[13] Daré was included in The Observer's list of 10 Best Debut Novelists of 2020.[1]
The novel has been translated into more than 19 languages.[citation needed]
And So I Roar
[edit]Daré's second novel, And So I Roar, was published in 2024 and won the 2025 Climate Fiction Prize.[14]
Awards
[edit]| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Girl with the Louding Voice | Desmond Elliott Prize | — | Shortlisted | |
| Goodreads Choice Awards | Fiction | Nominated | |||
| Not the Booker Prize | — | Shortlisted | |||
| 2021 | British Book Awards | Début Book of the Year | Shortlisted | ||
| RUSA CODES Listen List | — | Selection | |||
| 2025 | And So I Roar | Climate Fiction Prize | Fiction | Won | [14] |
Novels
[edit]- The Girl with the Louding Voice (2020)
- And So I Roar (2024)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c The Observer (26 January 2020). "Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2020". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ BellaNaija (14 September 2018). "Nigerian Author Abimbola Dare Wins the 2018 Bath Novel Award". BellaNaija. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Dare, Abi (23 September 2018). "Interview: ABI DARÈ, winner of the Bath Novel Award 2018". The Bath Novel Awards (Interview). Interviewed by Carolin Ambrose. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Abi Daré". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Guest Author – Abimbola Dare: The Small Print". Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Daré, Abi (2020). The Girl With The Louding Voice. Great Britain: Sceptre.
- ^ "Abi Daré | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ a b León, Concepción de (1 February 2020). "For Her Debut, Abi Daré Confronts 'Dreams and Intelligence That We Kill'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "The BiC corporate foundation". BiC. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ Lia Parker-Belfer, Marc Alain Boucicault, Nora Jendoubi & Shivika Bhasin (21 March 2023). "SECON 2023: Back in person to discuss the power of narratives for social impact". Harvard Business School. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Read with Jenna: The Girl with the Louding Voice author chats on TODAY". Today.com. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 – The Girl With The Louding Voice by Abi Daré – Available now". BBC Online. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "The Girl with the Louding Voice - by Abi Daré". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ a b "And So I Roar wins Climate Fiction Prize 2025". The Climate Fiction Prize. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
