[5] For the first six years of his life, he lived with his maternal grandmother after she moved to London from Ghana, though she eventually returned to her home country.
[10] It was in lieu of playing basketball that Azumah Nelson began writing prose - which he kept up through his years studying sports science at Coventry University.
Azumah Nelson's dream to become an author began as a teenager in 2019, after his godfather, aunt and three of his grandparents died.
[11] Thereafter, Azumah Nelson handed in his notice at Apple and began writing full time.
[14][15] Although he is inspired by many artists, Azumah Nelson has stated that his primary role models are Zadie Smith, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Kendrick Lamar, Barry Jenkins, and his parents.
"[23] Colin Grant's analysis in The Guardian included observations about it being "an affecting meditation on the migrant experience,"[24] while the reviewer for i newspaper stated that "at times Small Worlds feels like the most sensitive book ever written, because no matter how serious its themes – race riots, a parent's depression – Azumah Nelson deals with it with profound tenderness.