Nigerian Author Chika Unigwe Reflects on Success After Writing Contest Triumph

Renowned Nigerian author, Chika Unigwe, has recounted a significant life lesson she gained following her achievement of a top-three position in a national writing competition during her secondary school days. Unigwe, who currently serves as a Professor of Writing at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, shared this experience while contributing to discussions surrounding Anne Carson, the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Professor Unigwe detailed how an older pen pal, who had previously ceased communication due to finding her letters uninteresting, promptly re-established contact after her success in the writing contest garnered media attention and appeared in newspapers.

She articulated the incident, stating: 'All the posts about Anne Carson being celebrated by a university that had denied her tenure remind me of a time in secondary school when a pen pal stopped writing to me because my letters were boring (for context, he was at university). Then I placed in the top three of a national writing contest, and my name appeared in the papers. This young man wrote me a letter that began, unashamedly, with: “Everyone loves a winner.” It taught me a lesson about the benefits of success :) , and about human nature. I never responded.'

This memorable encounter, according to the celebrated novelist, profoundly illuminated for her the intrinsic 'benefits of success' and offered a deeper understanding of 'human nature'.