Teju Cole

Teju Cole is an award-winning author, historian, and photographer whose work deals with themes of identity, history, displacement, and the aftermath of colonialism. Though he is best known for his fiction, Cole has written extensively on the topics of photography, literature, foreign policy, and human rights. As a result, his writings have been celebrated both in the literary world and beyond.

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1975 to Nigerian parents, Cole was raised largely in his parents’ home country. He received his BA in English, African, and African-American Studies from Yale University and his Masters in Political Science from the University of Michigan. He returned to Nigeria in 2000 to work as an editor before pursuing a writing and photography career in New York City.

Cole is deeply interested in how history can shape identity and how various forces of colonialism have affected the lives of people around the world. His deepest concerns are represented in his writings, most notably Open City (2011) and A Sense of Life (2018). In Open City, Cole follows Julius, a Nigerian-German physician living in New York City, as he wanders the city streets and reflects on his upbringing, struggles, and identity. Through Julius's journey, readers gain insights on immigration, displacement, and loneliness. Cole continues to explore these themes in A Sense of Life, in which readers journey through the cities of Mexico, New York, and Lagos as a Qatari-Nigerian journalist reclaims her identity through conversations with a range of characters.

Cole has also explored these topics through photography and international travel. His book Every Day is for the Thief (2014) is a compilation of photographs and essays from a trip to his homeland in Nigeria. Cole also founded the Everyday African project, which photographs and collects stories of everyday life in urban Africa.

Furthermore, Cole has written numerous essays and op-eds for The New Yorker, The New York Times, and various cultural publications. His most significant publications include his 2013 book of essays Known and Strange Things, and Blind Spot (2017) which is a combination of photography and essay on race, memory, and beauty.

In addition to his writing, photography, and fieldwork, Cole is an outspoken public intellectual. He has served as a public speaker at universities and cultural institutions around the world, and lectured on foreign policy, immigration, and race. He has been given a range of honors, such as the PEN American Award for Open City, the NAACP Image Award for Known and Strange Things, and the United Nations Peace Prize for his work on the Everyday African project.

Teju Cole is a prolific and talented voice in the literary world. His writing is both truly captivating and teaches the lasting lessons of history and displacement. Through his hard work and dedication, Cole has already achieved a great amount, and there is no doubt that he will continue to contribute significantly to the world of writing for years to come.