Cyprian Ekwensi was a novelist, short-story writer, and children's author born in 1921 in Niger State, Nigeria. He was educated at Ibadan University College and at the Chelsea School of Pharmacy in London before undertaking a range of careers as a teacher, forester, pharmacist, broadcaster and film-maker. His 1954 novel, People of the City, gained instant international acclaim and was one of the first Nigerian novels to be published in Britain. Since then, Ekwensi has been known as a pioneering icon of Nigerian literature. In 1981, he helped form the Association of Nigerian Authors and, in 2001, was made a member of the Order of the Federal Republic for his outstanding contributions to the nation. Ekwensi died in 2007.