Anglo-Nigerian writer Nikki May, one of the three authors shortlisted for the 2025 NLNG-sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature, says her novel This Motherless Land draws completely from her personal life.
She made the revelation during a virtual Bookfest on Sunday held in honour of the three finalists – Oyin Olugbile (Sanya), Chigozie Obioma (The Road to the Country) and May (This Motherless Land). Obioma was, however, “unavoidably” absent.
Asked which character was most difficult to write, May said she was lucky to be able to write Funke because “she’s living my life. She lives in my house with my parrot Billy, and she rides my chopper around the quiet campus streets. Her mother was inspired by my own mother, who taught at Corona School and was loved by her students. Funke walked onto the page fully formed, but I had to dig really deep to write her… So while she was easy to create, she was also difficult, because all writing is hard.”
On how much of her experience shaped the story, the novelist replied: “All of it. Literally all of it.”
May described the English home “the Ring” in the novel as more of an imagined montage, but admitted that the Legold homes came straight from her real life. “Of course, it’s still fiction-I kill Funke’s mother early in the book, while my own mother is alive and well. In fact, it’s her 86th birthday tomorrow, and we’re celebrating with her in Tenerife,” she said.
The author added that writing was cheaper than therapy and allows her to dig deep into themes of identity and belonging. “When you’re writing about nuanced subjects, it helps to be brutally honest and draw from lived experience,” she noted. “By the end of a book, I sometimes feel like a slightly better-or worse-person, depending on what my protagonists go through.”
On the cultural differences and similarities between Nigeria and the UK, she said: “One of my messages is that melanin is not a character trait. People are people, wherever they are… In England, you have privilege and the old boys’ network. In Nigeria, you have long leg and ‘who do you know?’ As long as you have human beings, you’ll have privilege, prejudice, and all the ‘isms.’”
May also revealed that her initial title for the book was Brown Girl in the Rain.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, worth $100,000, is Africa’s biggest literary award. The 2025 winner will be announced on October 10.
