Author of the Month​ - Caleb Azumah Nelson

Caleb Azumah Nelson is a British-Ghanaian writer and photographer who has gained critical acclaim for his debut novel 'Open Water' and his recently published second novel 'Small Worlds'. 'Open Water' is a love story that explores themes of race, masculinity, and the power of art and expression. The novel, written in the second person, follows two young Black artists - a photographer and a dancer - as they navigate their relationship in London. The book was widely praised for its lyrical and poetic prose, and it won the Costa Book Award for First Novel in 2021. In his second novel 'Small Worlds', Azumah Nelson delves deeper into the immigrant experience, family dynamics, and the search for identity. The story follows a young man named Stephen, whose parents immigrated to England from Ghana. As Stephen grapples with his own sense of self and the weight of his family's history, the novel examines themes of grief, love, and the resilience required to build one's own world. Beyond his novels, Azumah Nelson is also an accomplished photographer. He sees his writing and photography as complementary forms of expression that allow him to explore his identity and the world around him.