"A towering figure in world literature gives us a tour de force, his first novel in nearly one-half century: a savagely satiric, gleefully irreverent, rollicking, fictional meditation on how power and greed can corrupt the soul of a nation. ("You don't see things the same way when you encounter a voice like that."-Toni Morrison) In an imaginary Nigeria, a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr. Menka's hospital for use in ritualistic...

Based on events that took place in 1946 in the ancient Yoruban city of Oyo, Soyinka's play addresses classic issues of cultural conflict, tragic decision-making, and the psychological mindsets of individuals and groups. The text of the play is accompanied by an introduction and explanatory annotations for the many allusions to traditional Nigerian myth and culture. "Backgrounds and Sources" helps readers understand Death and the King's Horseman's...

A member of the unique generation of African writers and intellectuals who came of age in the last days of colonialism, the author has witnessed the promise of independence and lived through postcolonial failure. He deeply comprehends the pressing problems of Africa, and, as an irrepressible essayist and a staunch critic of the oppressive boot, he unhesitatingly speaks out. In this work, he offers a wide-ranging inquiry into Africa's culture, religion,...

The first novel written in the Yoruba language and one of the first to be written in any African language. The narrative unfolds in a landscape where, true to Yoruba cosmology, human, natural, and supernatural beings are compellingly and wonderfully alive at once: a world of warriors, sages and kings; magical trees and snake people; spirits, Ghommids, and bog-trolls. Here are the adventures of Akara-ogun--son of a brave warrior and wicked witch--as...

A contemporary poetry anthology for the global village, this volume contains masterpieces from four continents and more than two dozen languages in translations by such distinguished poets as Elizabeth Bishop, W.S. Merwin, Ted Hughes, and Seamus Heaney.