Caleb Azumah Nelson

Caleb Azumah Nelson is a British-Ghanaian writer and photographer. His debut novel, Open Water, won the Costa Book Award for First Novel.[1][2]

Personal life

Azumah Nelson grew up in and currently lives in southeast London (Bellingham).[3] For the first six years of his life, he lived with his maternal grandmother after she moved to London from Ghana, though she eventually returned to her home country.[4] Although Azumah Nelson hopes to travel more and visit Ghana again, he intends to remain in Bellingham for most of his life.[4]

Beyond writing and photography, Azumah Nelson played violin for ten years.[4]

Azumah Nelson's dream to become an author began as a teenager. In 2019, after his godfather, aunt, and three of his grandparents died,[5] he quit his job at Apple and began writing full time.[2]

Photography

Azumah Nelson began shooting using a film camera when he was around eighteen years old.[4]

He believes his "writing and photography go hand in hand; they both act as sites of honest expression, and encourage me to think about how I see the world, how I move through it, how I love and express that love. When I’m confronted by the blank page, in a way, I’m confronting myself, who I am, all of the nuances which make me. There’s a freedom in affording myself or others this kind of space, to just be themselves, even if that’s for a brief moment."[6]

In 2019, Azumah Nelson won the Palm* Photo People's Choice prize[7] and was shortlisted for the Palm* Photo Prize.[8]

Writing

Azumah Nelson's writing has been published in Litro and The White Review.[3]

His short story Pray was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award (2020).[8][9]

Although he's inspired by many artists, Azumah Nelson has stated that his primary role models are Zadie Smith, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Kendrick Lamar, Barry Jenkins, and his parents.[9]

Open Water (2021)
Main article: Open Water (novel)

Open Water is Azumah Nelson's debut novel, published February 4, 2021 by Viking Press.

Awards for Open Water
Year Award Result Ref.
2021 Booklist's Best First Novels Top 10 [10]
Desmond Elliott Prize Longlist [11]
Waterstones Book of the Year Shortlist [12]
Costa Book Award for First Novel Winner [1][2]

References
  1. "Awards: Costa Book Category, Aussie Prime Minister's Literary Winners". Shelf Awareness. 5 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  2. Flood, Alison (4 January 2022). "Caleb Azumah Nelson wins Costa first novel award for Open Water". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  3. "Caleb Azumah Nelson". National Book Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. Wang, Mary (23 April 2021). "Caleb Azumah Nelson: "The confrontation with myself enabled me to find a brief freedom."". Guernica. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  5. Shaffi, Sarah; Vincent, Alice (11 January 2021). "2021 debuts: get to know our new authors". Penguin Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  6. Pearce, Isabella; Washington, Mario; Robathan, Hannah (6 May 2021). "Caleb Azumah Nelson: "Open Water is for the young Black people who don't see themselves reflected in literature"". Shado Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  7. "Palm* Photo Prize 2021". Palm*. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  8. "31 Questions with Caleb Azumah Nelson". Wigtown book Festival. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  9. Bamber, Belinda (5 January 2022). "Under The Cover... With Caleb Azumah Nelson - Culture". Country and Town House. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. Seaman, Donna (1 November 2021). "Top 10 First Novels: 2021". Booklist. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  11. Blau, Jessica Anya (20 April 2021). "Awards: Desmond Elliott Longlist". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  12. Nygaard, Mads (29 October 2021). "Awards: Kirkus Winners; Waterstones Book of the Year Shortlist". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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