Teju Cole Biography: Books, Awards, Parents, Age, Height, Net Worth, Spouse, Children, Facebook

Obayemi Babajide Adetokunbo Onafuwa, known professionally as Teju Cole, was born on June 27, 1975, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He is a Nigerian-American writer, photographer, and art historian whose work including novels, essays, and photobooks is celebrated for its contemplative style and deep cultural insight.

Quick Facts

  • Full Name: Obayemi Babajide Adetokunbo Onafuwa
  • Stage Name: Teju Cole
  • Born: June 27, 1975
  • Age: 51 years old
  • Birthplace: Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
  • Nationality: Nigerian-American
  • Occupation: Writer, Photographer, Art Historian
  • Height: 5 feet and 7 inches (168cm)
  • Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Onafuwa
  • Siblings: Unknown
  • Spouse: Sadako
  • Children: None
  • Relationship: Married
  • Net Worth: $2.5 million

Early Life And Education

Teju Cole was born on June 27, 1975, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Nigerian parents, Mr. and Mrs. Onafuwa, he is 50 years old.

Information about his siblings is not widely available.

He grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, before returning to the United States as a teenager.

He is of Nigerian (Yoruba) ethnicity and he practices christianity.

He studied at Kalamazoo College, earning a bachelor’s degree.

After a brief stint in medical school, he shifted to art history, completing a master’s at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and later earning an M.Phil at Columbia University in New York.

Career

Teju Cole’s career is a rich blend of literature, photography, and academic work.

He first gained attention with his novella Every Day Is for the Thief, a reflective account of returning to Lagos.

His breakthrough novel, Open City, follows a young man’s walks through New York City, and it has been widely praised for its lyrical prose and insightful reflections.

Beyond fiction, Cole is a prolific essayist and critic.

His essay collections such as Known and Strange Things and Black Paper explore art, identity, history, and politics with intellectual rigor.

He has also produced photobooks, including Blind Spot, which pairs his images with prose, and Fernweh, a sequence of photographs that meditate on landscapes and memory.

Cole has written for major publications, contributing regularly to outlets like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Granta, and others.

He was the photography critic for The New York Times Magazine, where he offered thoughtful commentary on visual culture.

He has also held academic positions, serving as Professor of Creative Writing and art history.

Awards and Nominations

  • PEN/Hemingway Award
  • International Literature Prize
  • Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction
  • Guggenheim Fellowship
  • Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Personal Life

Nigerian-American writer, photographer, and art historian Teju Cole has been married to his long time partner Sadako, the couple has been together for several years, there is no information about his children.

Regarding his height, Teju Cole stands at 5 feet and 7 inches tall which is approximately (168cm).

No information about his previous romantic relationships before his marriage to Sadako.

Major Works

  • Every Day Is for the Thief (Novella)
  • Open City (Novel)
  • Known and Strange Things (Essay Collection)
  • Black Paper (Essays + Photography)
  • Blind Spot (Photobook)
  • Fernweh (Photography)
  • Tremor (Novel)

Net Worth

Teju Cole’s net worth is estimated at around US$2.5 million, which comes from his multiple careers as a writer, photographer, critic, and academic.

He earns through book sales, royalties, public speaking, teaching, and his photographic work.

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