An Adaptation Of Nigerian Writer, Nnedi Okorafor's Novel 'Who Fears Death' Is Coming To HBO!




In television making news, renowned Nigerian sci-fi, magical futurism, juju fantasy & mystical realism writer, Nnedi Okorafor's novel 'Who Fears Death' has been optioned for an HBO TV show, which will be executive produced by George R.R. Martin of 'Game of Thrones'.

She expressed in a tweet, "My novel WHO FEARS DEATH has been optioned by @HBO & is now in early development as a TV series with George RR Martin as executive producer." The author also added that the decision did not happen overnight. It has been nearly four years coming.

Okorafor holds a PhD in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She has written books such as Akata Witch, Lagoon, Long Juju Man and Zahrah the Windseeker to name a few.

The fantasy writer joins the likes of Chimamanda Adichie whose acclaimed novel, Americanah's rights were acquired for adaptation by Kenyan actress and filmmaker Lupita Nyong'o.

Apart from being a writer, the multi award-winning author is also a creative writing and literature professor.

In case you have not yet read Who Fears Death, the synopsis is as follows:

In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. A woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert, hoping to die. Instead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand. Gripped by the certainty that her daughter is different—special—she names her Onyesonwu, which means "Who fears death?" in an ancient language.

It doesn't take long for Onye to understand that she is physically and socially marked by the circumstances of her conception. She is Ewu—a child of rape who is expected to live a life of violence, a half-breed rejected by her community. But Onye is not the average Ewu. Even as a child, she manifests the beginnings of a remarkable and unique magic. As she grows, so do her abilities, and during an inadvertent visit to the spirit realm, she learns something terrifying: someone powerful is trying to kill her.

Desperate to elude her would-be murderer and to understand her own nature, she embarks on a journey in which she grapples with nature, tradition, history, true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and ultimately learns why she was given the name she bears: Who Fears Death.
Previous Post Next Post

Contact Form