Nnedi Okorafor: Death of the Author
The author presents her new novel about family, culture and identity, and the relationship between writer and reader, in conversation with Irenosen Okojie.
Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she’s suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister’s wedding, her life is upended.
Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she’s not sure what comes next.
In her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life – she decides to write a book very unlike her others: a science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.
What follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. As Zelu’s life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur. Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world.
Nnedi Okorafor is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author. Death of the Author is heartfelt, tender, and an ambitious meta-drama about what makes us human.
Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian British author whose work pushes the boundaries of form, language and ideas. Her novel, Butterfly Fish, and short story collections, Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch, have won and been nominated for multiple awards. She is Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an MBE for services to literature in 2021. She is the director and founder of Black to the Future festival.
Need to know
For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
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