Namina Forna (born 9 January 1987) is a Sierra Leonean American author of young adult fiction and a screenwriter.[1] Her debut novel The Gilded Ones was published in February 2021 and quickly entered the New York Times and Indie Bestseller lists.[2][3][4]
Namina Forna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 9 January 1987 Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Occupation | Author, screenwriter |
| Nationality | American Sierra Leonean |
| Education | Spelman College (BA) USC School of Cinematic Arts (MFA) |
| Genre | Young adult, fantasy |
| Notable works | The Gilded Ones |
| Website | |
| naminaforna | |
Early life
editNamina Forna was born and grew up in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. After her parents divorced, Forna's mother moved to Atlanta, Georgia. However, due to the looming civil war and general political instability in Sierra Leone, her father decided to also send his nine-year-old daughter to live with her mother in the United States.
Forna loved reading as a child. In an interview with Elle, she explained that reading was her way of escaping the atrocities of the civil war.[1]
In Atlanta, she attended Spelman College, a private historically black women's liberal arts college, where she spent time as a student of Nawal El Saadawi who would provide inspiration for The Gilded Ones, Forna's pioneering feminist fantasy novel.[5] After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts degree at Spelman, Forna moved to Los Angeles, California, where she attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts, from which she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in film and TV production.[6]
Career
editWriting in The Guardian in 2021, Forna said that her father and grandmother were the ones to inspire her to become an author. As a child, she heard them tell stories about strong women, such as Mami Wata, the goddess of water, and the Dahomey Amazons. She later found that western literature lacked black female heroes, and she was driven to change this.[7]
Forna became the first Sierra Leonean American to land a book deal with a major publisher for a young adult fantasy novel. Among the positive critical attention received by The Gilded Ones, published in 2021, a review in Publishers Weekly noted: "Formidable heroines and a thoughtful feminist mythology distinguish debut author Forna's West Africa-inspired fantasy trilogy launch. Abundant action drives the pace, while a nuanced plot advocates social change by illustrating the myriad ways in which society cages and commodifies women."[8] A week after the 2021 release of The Gilded Ones, it was announced in Deadline Hollywood that the independent film production company Makeready had signed Forna to write the script for a film adaptation.[9]
Personal life
editNamina Forna is daughter of the Honorable A. G. Sembu Forna, a noted Sierra Leonean politician,[10][11] and her mother is Ambassador and former Sierra Leone deputy minister of foreign affairs, Ebun Strasser-King.[12]
Bibliography
editThe Deathless series
edit- The Gilded Ones (9 February 2021), ISBN 978-1-984-84869-7
- The Merciless Ones (31 May 2022), ISBN 978-1-984-84872-7
- The Eternal Ones (13 February 2024), ISBN 978-1-984-84875-8
References
edit- ^ a b "'The Gilded Ones' Author Namina Forna On Fleeing Sierra Leone And Confronting The American Dream". Elle. 4 February 2021.
- ^ "'The Gilded Ones' by Author Namina Forna". PenguinRandomHouse. 9 February 2021.
- ^ "New York Times Bestseller - Namina Forna, The Gilded Ones". The New York Times. 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Indie Bestsellers - 'The Gilded Ones' by Namina Forna" (PDF). American Booksellers Association. 24 February 2021.
- ^ Kimeria, Ciku (2 April 2021). "Egyptian feminist Nawal El Saadawi showed a generation of female writers how to be fierce". Quartz Africa. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Namina Forna". Reading Zone. February 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ Forna, Namina (22 February 2021). "As a Black Lord of the Rings fan, I felt left out of fantasy worlds. So I created my own". The Guardian.
- ^ "The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1)". Publishers Weekly. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (11 February 2021). "Makeready Options New Fantasy Trilogy 'The Gilded Ones;' Sets Tyro Author Namina Forna To Adapt". Deadline.
- ^ Kamara, Gbakanda (19 September 2005). "Hail the Power Brokers". The Patriotic Vanguard.
- ^ "November 17, 2018 APC gives grand farewell to late veteran A.G. Sembu-Forna". Cocorioko. 17 November 2018.
- ^ Thomas, Abdul Rashid (16 October 2015). "Sierra Leone deputy minister of foreign affairs – Ebun Strasser King speaks about the advancement of African women". Sierra Leone Telegraph.
External links
edit