Ben Okri is a Nigerian poet, novelist, and essayist. He was born in Minna, Nigeria in 1959 and is best known for his Booker Prize-winning novel The Famished Road. Okri's works often explore the intersection of traditional African culture with modernity, and his writing is heavily influenced by his Yoruba heritage. He has published numerous collections of poetry, novels, and essays, and has been awarded numerous honors, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, the Aga Khan Prize for Fiction, and the Chianti Ruffino Antico Fattore International Literary Prize. Okri is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN.