About Matthew Lecznar
Born and raised in Southeast England, I was given my first taste of the riches of African literature as an undergrad studying English literature at the University of York, where I was introduced to key authors like Chinua Achebe, J. M. Coetzee, Bessie Head and Véronique Tadjo. After completing my BA, I commenced a Master’s degree in World Literatures in English at the University of Oxford, taking courses on West African literature, humanitarian fictions and the history of the book. I wrote my dissertation on the significance of fashion, both as a material object and process of continual development, in literary portrayals of the Nigeria-Biafra war (1967-70), such as Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Destination in Biafra (1982) by Buchi Emecheta and Sunset At Dawn (1976) by Chukwuemeka Ike. Since graduating last summer, I have been developing my PhD research, which I will begin in earnest later this year at the University of Sussex. My thesis will explore the cultural legacy of the Nigeria-Biafra war in different forms of material culture such as art, films, textiles and photography in order to complicate and elucidate current critical understanding of the conflict’s impact both in Nigeria and internationally.