The Most Famous
WRITERS from Ghana
This page contains a list of the greatest Ghanaian Writers. The pantheon dataset contains 7,302 Writers, 4 of which were born in Ghana. This makes Ghana the birth place of the 91st most number of Writers behind Ecuador, and Philippines.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Ghanaian Writers of all time. This list of famous Ghanaian Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. William Boyd (b. 1952)
With an HPI of 49.53, William Boyd is the most famous Ghanaian Writer. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages on wikipedia.
William Andrew Murray Boyd (born 7 March 1952) is a Scottish novelist, short story writer and screenwriter.
2. Ama Ata Aidoo (1942 - 2023)
With an HPI of 47.17, Ama Ata Aidoo is the 2nd most famous Ghanaian Writer. Her biography has been translated into 33 different languages.
Ama Ata Aidoo (23 March 1942 – 31 May 2023) was a Ghanaian author, poet, playwright, politician, and academic. She was Secretary for Education in Ghana from 1982 to 1983 under Jerry Rawlings's PNDC administration. Her first play, The Dilemma of a Ghost, was published in 1965, making Aidoo the first published female African dramatist. As a novelist, she won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1992 with the novel Changes. In 2000, she established the Mbaasem Foundation in Accra to promote and support the work of African women writers.
3. Ayi Kwei Armah (b. 1939)
With an HPI of 41.25, Ayi Kwei Armah is the 3rd most famous Ghanaian Writer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Ayi Kwei Armah (born 28 October 1939) is a Ghanaian writer best known for his novels including The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968), Two Thousand Seasons (1973) and The Healers (1978). He is also an essayist, as well as having written poetry, short stories, and books for children.
4. Kofi Awoonor (1935 - 2013)
With an HPI of 37.63, Kofi Awoonor is the 4th most famous Ghanaian Writer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Kofi Awoonor (born George Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor-Williams; 13 March 1935 – 21 September 2013) was a Ghanaian poet, author and diplomat. His work combined the poetic traditions of his native Ewe people with contemporary and religious symbolism to depict Africa during decolonization. He started writing under the name George Awoonor-Williams, and was also published as Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor. He taught African literature at the University of Ghana. Professor Awoonor was among those who were killed in the September 2013 attack at Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was a participant at the Storymoja Hay Festival.
5. Amma Darko (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 32.96, Amma Darko is the 5th most famous Ghanaian Writer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Amma Darko (born 1956) is a Ghanaian novelist. She had won The Golden Baobab Prize for one of her novels. She has published seven novels in total.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Ghanaian writers born between 1935 and 1956. Of these 5, 3 (60.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Ghanaian writers include William Boyd, Ayi Kwei Armah, and Amma Darko. The most famous deceased Ghanaian writers include Ama Ata Aidoo, and Kofi Awoonor. As of April 2024, 1 new Ghanaian writers have been added to Pantheon including Amma Darko.
Living Ghanaian Writers
Go to all Rankings
William Boyd
1952 - Present
HPI: 49.53
Ayi Kwei Armah
1939 - Present
HPI: 41.25
Amma Darko
1956 - Present
HPI: 32.96
