Labo Yari
Nigerian writer (1942–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 |
| 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
Born 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
- 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.