Uchenna Onyishi was born in Enugu, Nigeria, and later moved to Abuja with his mother and many siblings before relocating to Beijing, China. At thirteen, he received an award for an essay on child trafficking, presented at the Muhammadu Buhari Convention Center by the First Lady. He did not write again until the world came to a complete halt. When he wrote again in 2020, the words came to him in the form of a series of fictional correspondences similar to Kafka’s Letters to Milena. These letters helped him find his voice again and gave him the courage to speak up against the expectations placed on him by his birthright.
As a writer, Uchenna is inspired by the works of Haruki Murakami, including Norwegian Wood and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. The introspective and mundane aspects of everyday life in these novels resonate deeply with him. Additionally, Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human and Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro have helped him refine his thematic focus. Similarly, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Ayobami Adebayo’s Stay With Me are particularly meaningful to him, as their themes of religious hypocrisy and personal and familial liberation serve as a guiding light in his exploration of familial expectations.
His most recent work, This Is Not A Review Of Heaven, is a short story that delves into the haunting memories of a childhood incident experienced by the protagonist, Afamefuna. He grapples with guilt and identity as he recalls the cruelty faced by a classmate, Malachi, and his own role in the events. The story explores the complexities of human behavior and the long-lasting impact of our actions.
Uchenna holds a BSc in Economics, a Master of Business Administration, and a PhD in Finance from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
His work explores themes of love, loss, family, and the frail bonds that hold us together.
He is currently studying an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) at Columbia University, and working on his debut novel.
UCHENNA ONYISHI 