Blackass Explained

Blackass
Author:A. Igoni Barrett
Country:Nigeria
Publisher:Chatto & Windus
Media Type:Print (Hardcover)

Blackass is a novel by Nigerian author A. Igoni Barrett. It was released in the United Kingdom and Nigeria in 2015, and 2016 in the United States. It received mixed reviews.[1] [2] [3]

Plot summary

Blackass is a story about a young Nigerian Furo Wariboko,[4] who wakes up on the eve of a job interview to discover that he has transformed into a white guy overnight. As he adjusts to his new appearance, he meets Arinze, who offers Furo a far more lucrative job than he expected.[5]

Reception

The Financial Times called Blackass "strange (and) compelling, (...with) something to tell us all", and explicitly compared it to Kafka's The Metamorphosis.[6] Writing in The Guardian, Helon Habila lauded Barrett for "his ability to satirise the ridiculous extents people, especially Lagosians, go to in order to appear important."[7] Claire Fallon for the Huffington Post found it to be "blunt (and) transparently written", but also "subtle (and) circumspect."[8] Aaron Bady of Okayafrica stated that it is "the most unapologetically Nigerian book that American publishers have published in a long time".[9]

In 2016 Blackass won the People's Literature Publishing House and the Chinese Foreign Literature Society's 21st Century Best Foreign Novel Award.[10] It was nominated for the inaugural FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards,[11] the 2017 PEN Open Book Award,[12] the 2015 Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award,[13] and the inaugural Nommo Award for Best Novel.[14] In 2017 it was nominated for a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in the debut fiction category.[15] [16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: An Audacious Transformation Bogs Down In 'Blackass'. Schaub. Michael. 6 March 2016. NPR. 17 July 2016.
  2. Web site: Blackass by A Igoni Barrett review – a cocktail of Kafka and comedy. Habila. Helon. 14 August 2015. The Guardian. 17 July 2016.
  3. Web site: 'Blackass', by A Igoni Barrett. Day. Jon. 14 August 2015. Financial Times. 17 July 2016.
  4. Web site: Blackass Graywolf Press . 2023-07-28 . www.graywolfpress.org.
  5. Web site: McKenna . 2016-09-13 . Book Review: Blackass by A. Igoni Barrett . 2023-07-28 . The Los Angeles Review.
  6. Jon Day, "‘Blackass’, by A Igoni Barrett" (review), Financial Times, 14 August 2015.
  7. Helon Habila, "Blackass by A Igoni Barrett review – a cocktail of Kafka and comedy", The Guardian, 14 August 2015.
  8. Claire Fallon, "The Bottom Line: ‘Blackass’ By A. Igoni Barrett", HuffPost Arts and Culture, 4 March 2016.
  9. Aaron Bady, "A. Igoni Barrett’s “Blackass” And The Afropolitan Debate", Okayafrica, 10 March 2016.
  10. http://xinhua-rss.zhongguowangshi.com/160/8966045104408230452/1715207.html "年度最佳外国小说”先睹为快"
  11. https://www.oppenheimerfunds.com/investors/article/emerging-voices-award-longlist-announced "Emerging Voices Award Longlist Announced"
  12. https://pen.org/2017-pen-open-book-award/ "2017 PEN Open Book Award"
  13. http://www.locusmag.com/News/2016/02/2015-kitschies-short-list/ "2015 Kitschies Short List"
  14. http://www.locusmag.com/News/2017/04/2017-nommo-awards-shortlist/ "2017 Nommo Awards Shortlist"
  15. http://blog.mahoganybooks.com/hurston-wright-foundation-announces-2017-legacy-awards-nominations/ "Hurston Wright Foundation Announces 2017 Legacy Awards Nominations"
  16. http://www.hurstonwright.org/authors/a-igoni-barrett/ "Hurston/Wright Foundation | A. Igoni Barrett"

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