Philip Begho

Philip Begho (born 11 January 1956) is a Nigerian writer (dramatist, children's writer, novelist, short story writer, and poet), the author of more than forty books. Born in Warri, Delta State, of an Itsekiri father and a mother of mixed race, he received his secondary school education at King's College, Lagos, and obtained an LLB. from the University of Lagos and an LL.M. from the University of London (London School of Economics). Though he currently works as a full-time writer, he has worked as a journalist, a banker, a businessman, a legal practitioner and a university lecturer. He has also engaged in film and theatrical production. His dramatic writing cuts across film, television, radio and the stage, and several of his stage plays have won awards. He also writes songs and non-fiction works, and his law book Company Formation: Precedents on Objects of Incorporation has gone into several editions.

Biography

Early life Part of Philip Begho's elementary education was received at Grange School, Ikeja, Lagos, but when his father, who had been a chief magistrate at Ikeja, was transferred to Benin City and subsequently appointed a judge in the newly created Mid-Western Region, he continued his elementary education there at Emotan Private School. In 1967 he was admitted to King's College, Lagos and began writing at the age of eleven for the two school publications – The Searchlight and The Mermaid.

He was highly adventurous during his middle-school years, and at the age of thirteen he got lost while exploring a path in the bush and claimed to have seen very strange things, which might have contributed to the cast of mind that spawned his children fantasies in later years. He represented his school and Lagos State in athletic competitions, excelling in the high jump and pole vault events, and was appointed vice-school captain in his final year.

Finishing school, he worked as a reporter for the Nigerian Observer before commencing undergraduate studies in law in 1974 at the University of Lagos. while Daniel came second. But it was Daniel, rather than Esther, which was first produced, being replete with themes that gave voice to the people's struggle in the Abacha years. It was staged to critical acclaim at the University of Lagos and at Nigeria's prestigious MUSON Centre in December 1994.

The cast featured such leading lights of the Nigerian stage as Joke Silva, Ayo Lijadu and Ihria Enakimio, and since then there have been several re-runs. Daniel (aka Power of Lions) was published in 2001 and Esther followed in 2002. Also published in 2002 was Philip Begho's third play, Job's Wife, another verse play. Job's Wife won the 2002 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Drama Prize.

But Philip Begho does not only write stage plays. He has written for television, radio and film, and is writing more novels these days. His novel Songbird worn the 2003 Isidore Okpewho Prose Prize

Themes and style Philip Begho's awareness of the profound influence the literary and dramatic arts have in shaping societal values is evident in his work, and his fiction, whether for adults or for children, is thematically preoccupied with such virtues as truth, righteousness and justice

As for style, Philip Begho, embraces drama and mixes prose with poetry. ANA/NDDC JP Clark-Bekederemo Prize for Drama 2002 ANA/Matatu Prize for Children's Literature 2003 Isidore Okpewho Prose Prize 2003 ANA/Atiku Abubakar Prize for Children's Literature 2005