Tade Ipadeola emerges winner 2013 Nigeria Prize for Literature
Tade Ipadeola, poet, lawyer and author of The Sahara Testament, has won the $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2013.
Ipadeola was announced by Dr Udo Eresia-Eke, the General Manager, External Relations, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, at a world press conference held at Coral Hall, OceanView on Victoria Island, Lagos.
“The judges also said Ipadeola’s use of poetic language demonstrates a striking marriage of thought and verbal artistry expressed in the blending of sound and sense. The work is replete with historical, geographical and literary allusions and tropes. On the whole, the poet demonstrates an outstanding level of intellectual exposure and knowledge, language use, and awareness of literature, which should be beneficial to readers and writers alike,”
“In arriving at the selection of The Sahara Testament author as winner of this year’s competition, the judges pointed out that the poet used the Sahara as a metonym for the problems of Africa and, indeed, the whole of humanity … and the work encompasses vast stores of knowledge in an encyclopaedic dimensions, “ Eresia-Eke said.
The chairman of the panel of judges of this year’s prize is Professor Romanus Egude. Other members of the panel are Professor Molara Ogundipe and Dr. Andrew Aba.
As is the tradtition, Tade Ipadeola will be presented to the public at a date to be announced by NLNG. Tade Ipadeola’s book was among the three shortlisted earlier last month. The other two authors are Amu Nnadi and Promise Ogochukwu.
Responding to the announcement, Ipadeola said: “I am elated; it is not everyday that one wins such a precious prize as the NLNG”