Ben Okri is a poet and novelist, and one of the foremost African authors in the post-modern and post-colonial traditions.Okri's first book, "Flowers and Shadows," was published in 1980. He became the poetry editor at West Africa magazine, and regularly appeared on the BBC World Service.Okri was born in Minna in west central Nigeria, and is a member of the Urhobo people. In 1978, he moved to England to study comparative literature at Essex University.