Alhaji Labo Yari (14 April 1942 – 18 March 2023) was a Nigerian writer and founding member of the Association of Nigerian Authors. He wrote Climate of Corruption in 1978, the first English language novel published throughout Northern Nigeria.
Labo Yari | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 April 1942 Katsina, British Nigeria |
| Died | 18 March 2023 (aged 80) Katsina, Nigeria |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novels and short stories |
| Years active | 1978–2007 |
| Notable awards | Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Children | Two sons and four daughters |
Life and career
editBorn in Katsina, Yari studied at the London School of Journalism, and between 1966 and 1967 Norwegian literature at the University of Oslo.[1][2] He started his journalistic career in 1962, and later worked for the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and as general manager of the publishing house Gaskiya Corporation.[1][2][3] In 1978, he debuted as a novelist with Climate of Corruption, the first English language novel published in Northern Nigeria, which was a commercial hit.[1][2] In 1982 he was among the five co-founders of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).[1][2] He died at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina on 18 March 2023, at the age of 80.[2][4] At the time of his death he had just finished a new novel, Awaiting Gozo.[2]
Works
edit- Climate of Corruption (1978), Fourth Dimension Publishing Company, Nigeria. ISBN 978-156-014-2.
- A House in the Dark (1985), Fourth Dimension Publishing Company, Nigeria. ISBN 978-156-148-3.
- Man of the Moment (1992), Fourth Dimension Publishing Company, Nigeria. ISBN 978-156-289-7.
- A day without cockcrow and other stories (1999), Informart Publishers, Nigeria. ISBN 978-34855-5-5.
- Muhamman Dikko, Emir of Katsina and his times: 1865–1944 (2007), Summit Books, Nigeria. ISBN 978-194-464-1.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Tsiga, I.A.; Bhadmus, M.O. (2016). Literature, History and Identity in Northern Nigeria. Safari Books Limited. pp. 226–7. ISBN 9789788431879. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Nigerian author and ANA co-founder Labo Yari dies at 81". New Citizen. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Aliyu, Abba Sani; Jibrin, Ibrahim; Omobowale, Emmanuel Babatunde (28 January 2022). Creative writing, writers and publishing in Northern Nigeria. IFRA-Nigeria. pp. 7, 11. ISBN 979-10-92312-61-4.
- ^ "Labo Yari, 'Climate of Corruption' author, dies at 83". TheCable. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
Further reading
edit- Carey, John (1994). "World literature in review: Nigeria". World Literature Today, Vol. 68, Issue 1, Winter 1994, pp. 194-5.
- Sheme, Ibrahim (6 June 1997). "Why I do not want to be known: Labo Yari, Northern Nigeria's First English Novelist, Opens up in This His First Interview Ever". New Nigerian, p. 12.