Description
Book SynopsisThis timely and expansive biography of Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian writer, Nobel laureate, and social activist, shows how the author's early years influence his life's work and how his writing, in turn, informs his political engagement. Three sections spanning his life, major texts, and place in history, connect Soyinka's legacy with global issues beyond the borders of his own country, and indeed beyond the African continent. Covering his encounters with the widespread rise of kleptocratic rule and international corporate corruption, his reflection on the human condition of the North-South divide, and the consequences of postcolonialism, this comprehensive biography locates Wole Soyinka as a global figure whose life and works have made him a subject of conversation in the public sphere, as well as one of Africa's most successful and popular authors. Looking at the different forms of Soyinka's work--plays, novels, and memoirs, among others--this volume argues that Soyinka used writing to
Trade ReviewThis book is without any doubt well researched and offer very useful insight into the works and the environments that contributed to making Soyinka what he is today. The duo of Dauda and Falola have through this effort added their own to the body of rich and well-documented works that have come out to interpret Soyinka to his readers and make his work more accessible and understandable ... [T]he duo has contributed in no small way to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and understanding of Soyinka’s complex world. It is a book that should adorn bookshelves of libraries and institutions where serious intellectual work is done. Kudos to Dauda and Falola for this. * Naija Times *
Wole Soyinka’s imprimatur on African literature was before his laureateship. This is an Exhibit A of his secular and scared creations whose cessation should come in his wishes, when
Obatala, the Yoruba god of creations, calls him home. * Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Associate Director, Wole Soyinka Foundation (2017-2020), University of Johannesburg, South Africa *
This book dares to unearth new truths about Wole Soyinka—and more importantly to ask new questions—and by so doing, unmasks the man, his politics, and his art. * E.C. Osondu, Professor of English, Providence College, USA, and Winner of the 2009 Caine Prize for African Writing *
This book is yet another worthy addition to scholarship on Wole Soyinka's massive oeuvre, written by profoundly genial, cerebral and authoritative voices on African and global Humanities. It is a must-read for all scholars, intellectuals, and change agents committed to the deployment of cultural and literary superstructure, through the example of the literary patriot Wole Soyinka. * Olufemi Obafemi, Professor of English and Dramatic Literature, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and President of the Association of Nigerian Authors *
Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgments Preface PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT 1. Studies on Wole Soyinka 2. Wole Soyinka in Historical Perspective
PART 2: HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND 3. Abeokuta: The City of Innovations and Creativity 4. Collective Traditions, Childhood, and Rites of Passage 5. Nobel Laureate: Literary Scholarship and Nation-building 6. Relationships, Beliefs, and Values
PART 3: LITERARY WORKS 7. Soyinka's Novels 8. Dramatic Oeuvre 9. Soyinka's Poetry 10. The Politics of Soyinka’s Literature
PART 4: LEGACIES AND CONCLUSION 11. Soyinka’s Contribution to Literature 12. Soyinka’s Literary Achievements and the Use of Language 13. Conclusion: Will Soyinka’s Works Outlive Him?
Bibliography Index
