Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

About

Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ is a Nigerian novelist and short-story writer born in Lagos, Nigeria. She studied English literature at Obafemi Awolowo University, where she earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, before completing a master’s degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Her debut novel, Stay with Me, received international acclaim. It won the 9mobile Prize for Literature and the Prix Les Afriques, and was shortlisted for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Wellcome Book Prize. The novel has been translated into more than twenty languages and was named a notable book of the year by The New York Times. Adébáyọ̀’s second novel, A Spell of Good Things (2023), was longlisted for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for several other literary awards. Her writing often examines family relationships, social inequality, gender expectations, and the ways political and cultural forces shape private lives. She has also written for publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Financial Times.