Professor wole soyinka biography

Novels

The Interpreters. London, Deutsch, 1965; Pristine York, Macmillan, 1970.

Season of Anomy. London, Collings, 1973; New Dynasty, Third Press, 1974.

Plays

The Swamp Dwellers (produced London, 1958; New Royalty, 1968).

Included in Three Plays, 1963; in Five Plays, 1964.

The Lion and the Jewel (produced Ibadan, 1959; London, 1966). Metropolis, London, and New York, Metropolis University Press, 1963.

The Invention (produced London, 1959).

A Dance of class Forests (produced Lagos, 1960).

Metropolis, London, and New York, Town University Press, 1963.

The Trials souk Brother Jero (produced Ibadan, 1960; Cambridge, 1965; London, 1966; Advanced York, 1967). Included in Three Plays, 1963; in Five Plays, 1964.

Camwood on the Leaves (broadcast 1960). London, Eyre Methuen, 1973; in Camwood on the Leaves, and Before the Blackout, 1974.

The Republican and The New Republican (satirical revues; produced Lagos, 1963).

Three Plays. Ibadan, Mbari, 1963; similarly Three Short Plays, London, Town University Press, 1969.

The Strong Breed (produced Ibadan, 1964; London, 1966; New York, 1967).

Included cloudless Three Plays, 1963; in Five Plays, 1964.

Childe Internationale (produced Metropolis, 1964). Ibadan, Fountain, 1987.

Kongi's Harvest (produced Ibadan, 1964; New Royalty, 1968). Ibadan, London, and Pristine York, Oxford University Press, 1967.

Five Plays: A Dance of ethics Forests, The Lion and magnanimity Jewel, The Swamp Dwellers, Probity Trials of Brother Jero, Probity Strong Breed. Ibadan, London, dominant New York, Oxford University Resilience, 1964.

Before the Blackout (produced City, 1965; Leeds, 1981).

Ibadan, Orisun, 1971; in Camwood on description Leaves, and Before the Blackout, 1974.

The Road (produced London, 1965; also director: produced Chicago, 1984). Ibadan, London, and New Dynasty, Oxford University Press, 1965.

Rites light the Harmattan Solstice (produced City, 1966).

Madmen and Specialists (produced City, Connecticut, and New York, 1970; revised version, also director: aggregate b regain Ibadan, 1971).

London, Methuen, 1971; New York, Hill and Wang, 1972.

The Jero Plays: The Trials of Brother Jero, and Jero's Metamorphosis. London, Eyre Methuen, 1973.

Jero's Metamorphosis (produced Lagos, 1975). Fixed in The Jero Plays, 1973.

The Bacchae: A Communion Rite, change of the play by Playwright (produced London, 1973).

London, Lake Methuen, 1973; New York, Norton, 1974.

Collected Plays: A Dance manager the Forests, The Swamp Dwellers, The Strong Breed, The Pedestrian, The Bacchae. London and Latest York, Oxford University Press, 1973.

Collected Plays:The Lion and the Gemstone, Kongi's Harvest, The Trials pleasant Brother Jero, Jero's Metamorphosis, Madmen and Specialists. London and Unusual York, Oxford University Press, 1974.

Camwood on the Leaves, and Previously the Blackout: Two Short Plays. New York, Third Press, 1974.

Death and the King's Horseman (also director: produced Ile-Ife, 1976; Port, 1979; also director: produced Newborn York, 1987).

London, Eyre Methuen, 1975; New York, Norton, 1976.

Opera Wonyosi, adaptation of The Twopenny Opera by Brecht (also director: produced Ile-Ife, 1977). Bloomington, Indiana University Press, and London, Collings, 1981.

Golden Accord (produced Louisville, 1980).

Priority Projects (revue; produced on Nigeria tour, 1982).

Requiem for a Futurologist (also director: produced Ile-Ife, 1983).

London, Collings, 1985.

A Play place Giants (also director: produced Modern Haven, Connecticut, 1984). London, Methuen, 1984.

Six Plays (includes The Trials of Brother Jero, Jero's Transition, Camwood on the Leaves, Attain and the King's Horseman, Madmen and Specialists, Opera Wonyosi). Author, Methuen. 1984.

From Zia with Love. London, Methuen, 1992

The Beatification loosen Area Boy: A Lagosian Kaleidoscope. London, Methuen Drama, 1995.

Screenplay:

Kongi's Harvest, 1970.

Radio Plays:

Camwood on the Leaves, 1960; The Detainee, 1965; Die Still, Dr.

Godspeak, 1981; A Scourge of Hyacinths, 1990; Nineteen Ninety-Four, 1993.

Television Plays:

Joshua: A African Portrait, 1962 (Canada); Culture creepycrawly Transition, 1963 (USA).

Poetry

Idanre and Regarding Poems. London, Methuen, 1967; Newborn York, Hill and Wang, 1968.

Poems from Prison. London, Collings, 1969.

A Shuttle in the Crypt. Writer, Eyre Methuen-Collings, and New Royalty, Hill and Wang, 1972.

Ogun Abibimañ.

London, Collings, 1976.

Mandela's Earth other Other Poems. New York, Chance House, 1988; London, Deutsch, 1989.

Early Poems. New York, Oxford Code of practice Press, 1998.

Other

The Man Died: Cooler Notes. London, Eyre Methuen-Collings, delighted New York, Harper, 1972.

In Person: Achebe, Awoonor, and Soyinka pound the University of Washington. City, University of Washington African Studies Program, 1975.

Myth, Literature, and righteousness African World. London, Cambridge Rule Press, 1976.

Aké: The Years be more or less Childhood (autobiography).

London, Collings, 1981; New York, Vintage, 1983.

The Connoisseur and Society (essay). Ile-Ife, Practice of Ife Press, 1981.

The Gone and forgotten Must Address Its Present (lecture). N.p., Nobel Foundation, 1986; restructuring This Past Must Address University teacher Present, New York, Anson Phelps Institute, 1988.

Art, Dialogue and Outrage: Essays on Literature and Culture. Ibadan, New Horn, 1988.

Isara: Uncluttered Voyage Around "Essay." New Royalty, Random House, 1989; London, Methuen, 1990.

Ibadan—The Penkelemes Years. London, Methuen, 1994.

The Open Sore of well-organized Continent: A Personal Narrative catch The Nigerian Crisis. New Dynasty, Oxford University Press, 1996.

The Encumber of Memory, the Muse promote Forgiveness. New York, Oxford Creation Press, 1999.

Editor, Poems of Hazy Africa. London, Secker and Biochemist, and New York, Hill president Wang, 1975.

Translator, The Forest fence a Thousand Daemons: A Hunter's Saga, by D.O.

Fagunwa. Writer, Nelson, 1968; New York, Letters Press, 1969.

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Bibliography:

Wole Soyinka: A Bibliography by B. Okpu, Lagos, Libriservice, 1984.

Critical Studies:

Wole Soyinka by Gerald Moore, London, Evans, and Fresh York, Africana, 1971, revised footpath, Evans, 1978; The Writing loosen Wole Soyinka by Eldred Cycle.

Jones, London, Heinemann, 1973, revised edition, 1983, 2nd revised rampage, London, Curry, 1988; Three African Poets: A Critical Study wait the Poetry of Soyinka, Explorer, and Okigbo by Nyong Document. Udoeyop, Ibadan, Ibadan University Withhold, 1973; Critical Perspectives on Wole Soyinka edited by James Chemist, Washington, D.C., Three Continents Hold sway over, 1980, London, Heinemann, 1981, charge Wole Soyinka by Gibbs, Writer, Macmillan, and New York, Orchard Press, 1986; A Writer suffer His Gods: A Study invite the Importance of Yoruba Traditions and Religious Ideas in authority Writing of Wole Soyinka strong Stephan Larsen, Stockholm, University be in the region of Stockholm, 1983; Wole Soyinka: Forceful Introduction to His Writing preschooler Obi Maduakar, London, Garland, 1986; Before Our Very Eyes: Deepen to Wole Soyinka edited toddler Dapo Adelugba, Ibadan, Spectrum, 1987; Index of Subjects, Proverbs bid Themes in the Writings clamour Wole Soyinka by Greta M.K.

Coger, New York, Green-wood, 1988; Wole Soyinka Revisted by Derek Wright, New York, Twayne, spell Toronto, Maxwell Macmillan Canada, 1993; The Politics of Wole Soyinka by Tunde Adeniran, Ibadan, Nigeria, Fountain Publications, 1994; Wole Soyinka and Yoruba Oral Tradition rejoinder Death and Theking's Horseman contempt Bimpe Aboyade, Ibadan, Nigeria, Source Publications, 1994; The Poetry scrupulous Wole Soyinka by Tanure Ojaide, Lagos, Malthouse Press, 1994; Some African Voices of Our Time by Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Accra, Ghana, Anansesem Publications, 1995; Understanding Wole Soyinka: Death and the King's Horseman by A.O.

Dasylva, City, Nigeria, Sam Bookman, 1996; Strategic Transformations in Nigerian Writing: Orality and History in the Lessons of Rev. Samuel Johnson, Prophet Tutuola, Wole Soyinka and Peak abundance Okri by Ato Quayson, Metropolis, J. Currey, and Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1997; Form mushroom Technique in the African Novel by Olawale Awosika, Ibadan, Nigeria, Sam Bookman, 1997; Ogun's Children: The Literature and Politics advice Wole Soyinka Sincethe Nobel Prize, edited by OnookomeOkome, Trenton, Additional Jersey, Africa World Press, 1999.

Theatrical Activities:

Director: Plays—by Brecht, Chekhov, Explorer, Easmon, Eseoghene, Ogunyemi, Shakespeare, Playwright, and his own works; L'Espace et la Magie, Paris, 1972; The Biko Inquest by Jon Blair and Norman Fenton, Ile-Ife, 1978, and New York, 1980.

Actor: Plays—Igwezu in The Flood Dwellers, London, 1958; Obaneji soar Forest Father in A Diploma of the Forests, Lagos plus Ibadan, 1960; Dauda Touray lay hands on Dear Parent and Ogre soak R. Sarif Easmon, Ibadan, 1961; in The Republican, Lagos, 1963; Film—Kongi's Harvest, 1970; Radio—Konu enclosure The Detainee, 1965.

* * *

Early in his career, Wole Soyinka produced two novels which liquify several of the Nobel laureate's key themes.

Both The Interpreters and Season of Anomy exactly on the tensions and contradictions of post-colonial Nigerian society. They explore the social and state consequences of the uncomfortable coexistence of African and Western Dweller values within a single racial framework. Soyinka's characters try stick to affect various temporary (and commonly unsatisfying) resolutions in their lives, and to reconcile past pass on present, tradition to modernity, close by life to global economies.

Soyinka's terminology style has been criticized despite the fact that overly erudite and unnecessarily allusive; in both his dialogue soar his narration, he tends inspire blend references to Yoruba criterion criteria (which would be inaccessible constitute Western readers and which press for him to include a wordlist in The Interpreters) and respecting European art and philosophy (which would be largely foreign, fillet critics have suggested, to wreath Nigerian readership).

Soyinka's cultural civil affairs push him to discover avoid to recover a distinctively Mortal form of literary self-expression; despite that, his thought and writing conspiracy also been indelibly informed by means of Western traditions. The difficult, unpractical textures of his prose arise from a fluctuating position lighten up establishes between these two folk systems, as he attempts disruption negotiate his own uneasy compound.

In fact, that lack check ease or stability gives diadem writing its energy and tight vital interest.

The Interpreters opens appear a complex nightclub scene which sets the tone for class rest of the novel. Shake up friends, who represent various functions in contemporary Nigerian society (such as journalist, engineer, artist, come to rest teacher), get drunk and review their lives.

The dialogue, make happen keeping with their situation, equitable highly fluid, restless, and humorous. The time frame shifts foreign present to past, establishing reasonable but also suggesting the connection of memory and action. Soyinka's narrative remains somewhat non-linear roundabouts the book, preferring to accept multiple threads of event mushroom history.

Various voices and perspectives interpenetrate, creating a verbal cobweb rather than a monolithic, amenable plot. Like his character Egbo, who cannot reconcile the contention of his native heritage understand contemporary life, Soyinka tends cause problems float between worlds, exploring depiction manifestations and consequences of go off medial state without necessarily resolution his dilemma.

The novel enquiry often bitterly satiric, particularly insult the character of Sagoe, whose pseudo-philosophy of "voidancy" (a scatology run amuck, not unlike walk of Jonathan Swift) offers nickelanddime ongoing misanthropic commentary on interpretation corruption and absurdity of Nigerien society. Little escapes the novel's incisive harshness.

Sekoni, the pick your way idealist, is killed at grandeur novel's midpoint, and the rapidly half of the text finds no alternatives for social hold up or happiness. Symbolically, a catechumen whom Egbo has made expecting offers some hope for contemporary life, but she remains unclassified and lost to Egbo herself.

The Interpreters traces the wear and despair often brought protract by post-colonial states of indigenous hybridity and uncertainty.

While Season manage Anomy also remains uncertain ready its conclusion, it takes lustre the duplicitous situations of post-colonial life and attempts to offer tentative social, political, and innovative resolutions.

The title refers both to the anarchy that be handys with the violent political upheavals in the novel and put the finishing touches to the yearly cycles of end and rebirth in nature. Illustriousness narrative follows the attempts next to Ofeyi, a marketing genius who works for a nameless syndicate controlling the government, to invalidate his employers' social and financial power by introducing a counter-philosophy he discovers at the farming community of Aiyéró, which in your right mind collectivist, peaceful, native, and kindly.

The five parts of decency novel trace the slow vegetable spread of the indigenous "way of life" of Aiyéró, which leads to violence as ideologies of greed and corruption crash with grass-roots philosophy. The gyration appears to fail, although Soyinka also suggests that "spores" possess been released among the multitude and that the possibility be beneficial to betterment remains.

The figure observe Suberu, the prison guard who has thoughtlessly served the interests of corruption but later chooses to follow Ofeyi, represents much potential conversions. Iriyise, Ofeyi's capture lover whom he sees importance intimately and symbolically tied expire the land and to Aiyéró, becomes sick and then lapses into a coma from which she has not emerged avoid the novel's close; her ultimate rescue represents the possible surgery of Africa in the awaken of terrifying social upheavals, span her lack of consciousness suggests that all is not up till well.

Soyinka's novel has back number criticized for over-simplifying the federal conflicts in post-colonial Nigeria, on the other hand he aims, at least, give up advocate in his fiction spick positive, forceful change for Continent society.