By Nehru Odeh
Samuel Kolawole, Assistant Professor of English and African Studies at Penn State, has won the prestigious Whiting Award for his novel, “The Road to the Salt Sea,” a searing exploration of the global immigration crisis that spans Nigeria, Libya, and Italy.
The award recognises early-career achievements and comes with a $50,000 prize, Centre Daily Times reported.
Announcing the award, the selection committee wrote: “Samuel Kọ́láwọlé dances back and forth across the borders of genre to craft a propulsive and humane thriller, populated by unforgettable characters whom he presents with unthinkable choices.
“In the hands of this wondrous storyteller, yearning and thwarted ambition raise predicament to the level of tragedy. His portrait of immigrants on the move through and toward the unknown melds gripping narrative with indelible testimony.”
Kolawole, for his part, said he had always wanted to write about an issue important to him.
“I feel so incredibly honored to be awarded the 2025 Whiting Award in Fiction for The Road to the Salt Sea. I am glad this novel is finding its way out in the world. I wrote the book because I had always wanted to write about an issue important to me. I was particular about what I wanted to do with this novel, which the judges’ citation encapsulated so well,” Kolawole said.
The Whiting Awards were established by the Whiting Foundation in 1985 and are one of the most esteemed and largest monetary gifts for emerging writers, a press release from the awards states.
“The prizes are designed to recognize excellence and promise in a spectrum of emerging talent, giving most winners the chance to devote themselves full time to their own writing, or to take bold new risks in their work,” the release states.
Courtney Hodell, Whiting’s director of literary programs, said the writers show “astounding range” and each has created the tools needed to create their narratives.
“Taken as a whole, their work shows a sharply honed sensitivity to our history, both individual and collective, and a passionate curiosity as to where a deeper understanding of that history can take us,” Hodell said.
Kọ́láwọlé was born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria. He’s received many residencies and fellowships, and was also previously a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing, Graywolf Press African Fiction Prize, International Book Award, and the UK’s First Novel Prize.
A product of the University of Ibadan, he has an MFA in writing and publishing at Vermont College of Fine Arts and a Ph.D. in English and creative writing from Georgia State University.