{"title":"Books by Wole Soyinka","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781526638250","title":"Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth","description":"\u003cp\u003e'\u003cb\u003eSoyinka's greatest novel ... No one else can write such a book'\u003c\/b\u003e - Ben Okri\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A lion of African literature\u003c\/b\u003e' - \u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eChronicles \u003c\/i\u003eis many things at once: a caustic political satire, a murder mystery, a conspiracy story and a deeply felt lament for the spirit of a nation'\u003c\/b\u003e - Juan Gabriel Vásquez, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e AND \u003ci\u003eSPECTATOR \u003c\/i\u003eBOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo Doctor Menka’s horror, some cunning entrepreneur has decided to sell body parts from his hospital for use in ritualistic practices. Already at the end of his tether from the horrors he routinely sees in surgery, he shares this latest development with his oldest college friend, bon viveur, star engineer and Yoruba royal, Duyole Pitan-Payne, who has never before met a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Neither realise how close the enemy is, nor how powerful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth\u003c\/i\u003e is at once a savagely witty whodunit, a scathing indictment of Nigeria’s political elite, and a provocative call to arms from one of the country’s most relentless political activists and an international literary giant.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A high-jinks state-of-the-nation novel'\u003c\/b\u003e - Chibundu Onuzo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Chronicles is a good model for what the political novel should be: fearless, disdaining formal constraints, sparing no one'\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43599345615026,"sku":"9781526638250","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526638250_fdbddf0a-a0e2-4ec7-9491-ea66fb88cb1e.jpg?v=1786022144"},{"product_id":"9781035906048","title":"The Interpreters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka’s debut novel tells the story of a group of friends facing political corruption and cultural uncertainty in post-independence Nigeria.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFriends since high school, Egbo, Bandele, Sagoe, Sekoni and Kola have returned to Lagos after studying abroad. As they navigate wild parties, affairs of the heart, philosophical debates, and professional dilemmas, they struggle to reconcile the cultural traditions and Western influences that have shaped them – and that still divide their country.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Interpreters\u003c\/i\u003e, Soyinka deftly weaves memories of the past through scenes of the present as the friends move toward an uncertain future. The result is a vividly realised fictional world rendered in prose that pivots easily from satire to tragedy. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'No other writer has Soyinka's unique positioning in the political and cultural life of his nation.' \u003cb\u003eBen Okri\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e'Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian icon.' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e'Elaborately, strikingly and indeed often beautifully written.' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44581242306738,"sku":"9781035906048","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781035906048_eca2d5f7-264e-4a79-976e-3a0d83e9a179.jpg?v=1786017265"},{"product_id":"9780192811363","title":"Collected Plays: Volume 1","description":"The Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka has been hailed as `one of the finest poetic playwrights who have ever written in English' (Martin Esslin) and `a writer of genius' (Irish Times).The five plays in this collection are linked by their concern with the spiritual and the social, with belief and ritual as integrating forces for social cohesion. A Dance of the Forests (1960), a confrontation between the living and the dead, between history and reality; The Swamp Dwellers (1961), a tale of perilous dependence on the favour of the gods; The Strong Breed (1963), a play of expiation, all take place in Africa. So also does The Road (1965), `a rich and beautiful tragedy' (Times Literary Supplement) The most recent work, an adaptation of The Bacchae of Euripides (1973), remains set in and around the Thebes of ancient Greece, but draws deeply on Africa and the themes of the earlier plays in this book. In all these plays - whether concerned with the corruption of urban life or the power of superstition - Soyinka's language and imagination transcend the plays' immediate social contexts.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56226251768181,"sku":"9780192811363","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780192811363_d7f611c5-548f-4f3b-97b2-c340710475fd.jpg?v=1786010976"},{"product_id":"9780300198331","title":"Of Africa","description":"A Nobel laureate offers a keen, thought-provoking analysis of Africa's current crises and points the way to cultural and political renewal A member of the unique generation of African writers and intellectuals who came of age in the last days of colonialism, Wole Soyinka has witnessed the promise of independence and lived through postcolonial failure. He deeply comprehends the pressing problems of Africa, and, an irrepressible essayist and a staunch critic of the oppressive boot, he unhesitatingly speaks out.   In this magnificent new work, Soyinka offers a wide-ranging inquiry into Africa's culture, religion, history, imagination, and identity. He seeks to understand how the continent's history is entwined with the histories of others, while exploring Africa's truest assets: \"its humanity, the quality and valuation of its own existence, and modes of managing its environment—both physical and intangible (which includes the spiritual).\"Fully grasping the extent of Africa's most challenging issues, Soyinka nevertheless refuses defeatism. With eloquence he analyzes problems ranging from the meaning of the past to the threat of theocracy. He asks hard questions about racial attitudes, inter-ethnic and religious violence, the viability of nations whose boundaries were laid out by outsiders, African identity on the continent and among displaced Africans, and more. Soyinka's exploration of Africa relocates the continent in the reader's imagination and maps a course toward an African future of peace and affirmation.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56233040019829,"sku":"9780300198331","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780300198331_bb31db69-03c0-4efb-b2c8-233c1bbf8f80.jpg?v=1786032864"},{"product_id":"9780413695505","title":"Death and the King's Horseman","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"The action of the play is as inevitable and eloquent as in Antigone: a clash of values and cultures so fundamental that tragedy issues: a tragedy for each individual, each tribe\" \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"This play, by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, asks: 'On the authority of what gods' the white aliens rupture the world. It puts exciting political theatre back on the agenda. . . a masterpiece of 20th century drama\" Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eElesin Oba, the King's Horseman, has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King's favourite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British Colonial Officer, Pilkings, intervenes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis edition features an interview with the author.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eCommentary and notes by Jane Plastow\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56288687325557,"sku":"9780413695505","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780413695505_3b724ff2-bb81-423e-80e4-26403b16a0f5.jpg?v=1786014221"},{"product_id":"9781350360686","title":"Global Theatre Anthologies: Ancient, Indigenous and Modern Plays from Africa and the Diaspora","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe power of theatrical performance is universal, but the style and concerns of theatre are specific to individual cultures. This volume in the \u003ci\u003eGlobal Theatre Perspectives\u003c\/i\u003e series presents a reconstructed ancient performance text, four one-act indigenous African plays and five modern dramas from various regions of Africa and the Caribbean Diaspora. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause these plays span centuries and are the work of artists from diverse cultures, readers can see elements that occur across time and space. Physicalized ritual, direct interaction with spectators, improvisation, music, drumming, and metaphorical animal characters help create the theatrical forms in multiple plays. Recurring themes include the establishment or challenging of political authority, the oppression or corruption of government, societal expectations based on gender, the complex and transformational nature of identity, and the power of dreams. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough each play is its own unique entity, reading them together allows readers to explore what theatrical elements and cultural concerns are perhaps essentially African. The Caribbean plays add further perspective to the questions of what values, theatrical and societal, are part of African drama, how these have influenced the Caribbean aesthetic, and what the relationships are between the old and new world. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the creators of the pieces are two Nobel Laureates, those who have been exiled or jailed for the political nature of their work, and the author of his country’s first constitution. The volume can serve as the primary text for an intensive semester-long investigation of African drama and culture. But it is also possible to use this volume along with others in the series as texts for a single course on drama from around the world. The global perspectives approach, letting works from ancient, indigenous, and modern times resonate with each other, encourages thinking across boundaries and connective human understanding.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56297718579573,"sku":"9781350360686","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781350360686_ad1a45d9-0a93-4962-b53d-832228508487.jpg?v=1786018628"},{"product_id":"9781350360693","title":"Global Theatre Anthologies","description":"The power of theatrical performance is universal, but the style and concerns of theatre are specific to individual cultures. This volume in the \u003ci\u003eGlobal Theatre Perspectives\u003c\/i\u003e series presents a reconstructed ancient performance text, four one-act indigenous African plays and five modern dramas from various regions of Africa and the Caribbean Diaspora. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBecause these plays span centuries and are the work of artists from diverse cultures, readers can see elements that occur across time and space. Physicalized ritual, direct interaction with spectators, improvisation, music, drumming, and metaphorical animal characters help create the theatrical forms in multiple plays. Recurring themes include the establishment or challenging of political authority, the oppression or corruption of government, societal expectations based on gender, the complex and transformational nature of identity, and the power of dreams. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough each play is its own unique entity, reading them together allows readers to explore what theatrical elements and cultural concerns are perhaps essentially African. The Caribbean plays add further perspective to the questions of what values, theatrical and societal, are part of African drama, how these have influenced the Caribbean aesthetic, and what the relationships are between the old and new world. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the creators of the pieces are two Nobel Laureates, those who have been exiled or jailed for the political nature of their work, and the author of his country's first constitution. The volume can serve as the primary text for an intensive semester-long investigation of African drama and culture. But it is also possible to use this volume along with others in the series as texts for a single course on drama from around the world. The global perspectives approach, letting works from ancient, indigenous, and modern times resonate with each other, encourages thinking across boundaries and connective human understanding.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298051371381,"sku":"9781350360693","price":120.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781350360693_b2b6bc0d-57b5-4dfe-975e-e147b96259f2.jpg?v=1786018629"},{"product_id":"the-lion-and-the-jewel","title":"The Lion and the Jewel","description":"This is one of the best-known plays by Africa's major dramatist, Wole Soyinka.It is set in the Yoruba village of Ilunjinle. The main characters are Sidi (the Jewel), 'a true village belle' and Baroka (the Lion), the crafty and powerful Bale of the village, Lakunle, the young teacher, influenced by western ways, and Sadiku, the eldest of Baroka's wives. How the Lion hunts the Jewel is the theme of this ribald comedy.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57481483190645,"sku":"9780199110834","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780199110834.jpg?v=1786089747"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-wole-soyinka.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}