Is Nneka Leslie Arimah Nigeria’s Best Short Story Writer?

Now most writers who know me, know that I am in love with Nneka Leslie Arimah. Not love in that controversial sense. No. Just a great admirer of her work.

I first encountered Nneka ‘s short story when she won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize (African region) with her story, Light . I’ll share links to this and all others at the end of this post

t first, I’d like to share Windfalls by  Nneka Leslie Arimah, published in Percontra magazine in 2015. After reading Windfalls, crime thriller writer, Obinna Udenwe declared Nneka Arimah Nigeria’s best short story writer.

Here’s an excerpt of Windfalls:

“Standing behind her is a man, that “ugly sonofabitch” that fathered you and died two and a half years later, blown to so much fleshy debris in an offshore accident. All you remember of him are his hands, large and hairy, and the metallic taste of the thick, gold ring he always wore. In that same purse, your mother carries a picture of the house she bought with the settlement she was awarded after the offshore company had been found at fault. It is beautiful, and appears structurally sound. This is the picture she clutches when she cries.” Read the rest of her story, Windfalls, HERE.

neka Leslie Arimah has also published a short story in the New Yorker. It is titled Who Will Greet You At Home. ,  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Nneka won the Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize in 2015. Her winning story, Light, is also available on Granta.