The african writer and the english language chinua achebe. Ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale and other books by d. Despite having left this world 47 years ago, precisely on december 9, 1963, late yoruba writer, d. Fifty years on and whose keynote speaker was professor wole soyinka. Aesthetic and ethics in the translation of african language literature a research report submitted to the faculty of humanities, university of witwatersrand johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of masters of arts. The potters wheel by chukwuemeka ike sunshine bookseller. Fagunwa was the first nigerian writer to employ folk philosophy in telling his stories. Satirist and chronicler of the manyfaceted world of education in nigeria, the author is one of nigerias foremost writers.
His novels draw heavily on folktale traditions and. Ngiigi wa thiongo, a kikuyu writer, was born in limuru, in 1938, under the name james ngiugi with which he published his major works in english. Fagunwa came out with a book entitled ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale. Chief fagunwa, the great nigerian writer with a number of titles published in yoruba, could not possibly qualify. Fagunwa s first novel, ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale 1938.
Though his relevance as a writer is hardly mentioned in the histories of african literature, fagunwa is considered by critics like abiola irele the origin of a thread which unites writers like amos tutuola and wole soyinka3. University of the witwatersrand, johannesburg south africa. Fagunwa and the regeneration of the orunmila muse journal of. O fagunwas ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmole, a bewitching literary journey into the vast, fantastical world of yoruba mythology.
This generation did much of their work in the first half of the twentieth century, during the formative stages of cultural nationalism. Feb 12, 2019 the novel is a delirious smoothie of cultural influences and tributes, from kurosawa films to superhero comics to the seminal work of the 1930s nigerian writer d. The writer does an excellent job being descriptive and painting a picture during each story. Characters and journey in amos tutuolas the palm wine drinkard and gabriel ajadis the forest of god annotated translation of d. Pdf on aug 19, 2019, stephen eyeh and others published new nigerian. O fagunwa, the organizers of the conference whose theme was d. The forest of a thousand daemons, was the first fulllength novel published in the yoruba language. Books written about nigerian civil war aloko adewale peter 11. The discussions on the novel, the short story, poetry and drama excluded the main body of. One of africas first novels, ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale, by d.
Let me hereby appreciate the organizers of this fagunwa night the society of young nigerian writers, for their foresight, and thank them, profusely, for the honour of requesting me to address this gathering, on the topic. By the midsixties he was considered the finest writer of novels and plays in east africa and he was comfortably seated in the department of english in nairobis university college. African literature african literature the influence of oral traditions on modern writers. The african writer should aim to use english in a way that brings out his message best. In part because of its novelty, in part because of the richness of language, in part because it treated familiar themes and because it relied heavily on folklore with which people were familiar, ogboju ode was an instant success. Fagunwa being a translation of ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale by wole soyinka illustrated by bruce onobrakpeya city lights books san. Fagunwa being a translation of ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale by wole soyinka illustrated by bruce onobrakpeya city lights books san francisco. In this novel, he tells of obuechina, the only brother of six older sisters, prize pupil in.
African novels and novelists by nasrullah mambrol on march 10, 2019 1. The term african, when applied in this essay to the novel and other literary genres, does not include the arab states of the north or the peoples of european descent who may have settled in africa. The discussions on the novel, the short story, poetry and drama excluded the main body of work in swahili, zulu, yoruba, arabic, amharic and other african languages. Use acrobat standard to create, edit, sign, and track your pdf files. O fagunwas ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmole, a bewitching literary journey into the vast, fantastical. Yoruba writers and the construction of heroes1 history in. University of the witwatersrand, johannesburg south africa fagunwa in translation. O fagunwa, some mythical aura1 surrounds his personality, as asserted by. His novels draw heavily on folktale traditions and idioms, including many supernatural elements. Fagunwas igbo olodumare with abstract, chapters 15, references and questionnaire. Daniel olorunfemi fagunwa 190363 the nigerian writer d. A metaphysical analysis of amos tutuolas the palmwine.
Themes in the literary traditions of contemporary africa are worked out frequently within the strictures laid down by the imported religions christianity and islam and within the struggle between traditional and modern, between rural and newly urban, between genders, and between generations. In this novel, he tells of obuechina, the only brother of six older sisters, prize pupil in the village school, apple of his doting mothers eye, eight years old and hopelessly spoilt. Fagunwa was awarded the margaret wrong prize in 1955 and was made a member of the order of the british empire in 1959. African novels and novelists literary theory and criticism. Fagunwas adiitu olodumare the mysteries of god, olu obafemi trans, in particular, and the indigenous religiousknowledge system that they reiterate, in general, as distinct from the western monotheistic system in ontological and metaphysical terms. African literature the influence of oral traditions on. Fagunwa is one of the most wellknown figures of the pioneering generation of african writers. Mar 21, 2012 let me hereby appreciate the organizers of this fagunwa night the society of young nigerian writers, for their foresight, and thank them, profusely, for the honour of requesting me to address this gathering, on the topic. O fagunwa was the hero of this years annual conference of the association of nigerian authors ana, which was held in akure, the ondo state capital between thursday, october 28 and saturday, october 30, 2010.
He still recalls his experiences with chief daniel olufemi fagunwa, the iconoclastic yoruba writer 19031962, under. Mar 10, 2019 home african literature african novels and novelists. In marking the first half century of the death of d. And another, irinkerindo ninu igbo elegbeje mysterious meander through the maniacal forest i think im trying with this translations sha, my nonyoruba friends, nor vex abeg. Fagunwa employs a framing device whereby an aging hunter and hero employs an unnamed scribe to document his experiences for succeeding generations.
The price a world language must be prepared to pay is submission to many different kinds of use. Religious figurations and the writing of yoruba mythology. In a vain attempt to salvage his character, his father decides he must be sent away as. Andrews college, oyo, before becoming a teacher himself. Culture, though many of the names used by fagunwa are restricted to the. Aesthetic and ethics in the translation of african language literature a research report submitted to the faculty of. Adobe acrobat standard dc lets you simplify everyday tasks with the trusted pdf writer solution. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. A metaphysical analysis of amos tutuolas the palmwine drinkard and d. Fagunwa remains the most widely read yorubalanguage author, and a major influence on such contemporary writers as amos tutuola. Fifty years on and whose keynote speaker was professor wole soyinka, 1986 nobel laureate, decided to celebrate and reaffirm fagunwas contributions to african literature and culture. African prose fiction and prose fiction about africa the.
Fagunwas adiitu olodumare the mysteries of god, olu obafemi trans, in particular, and the indigenous. The pioneer creative writer in yoruba, daniel olorunfemi fagunwa was a man whose style of writing was and probably is second to. Wole soyinka 1 1934 author, actor, political activist at a glance 2 began writing career 3 twice arrested 4 postprison writings 5 literary philosophy 6 selected writings 7 sources 8 in 1986. Fagunwas first novel, ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale 1938. And another, irinkerindo ninu igbo elegbeje mysterious meander through the maniacal forest i think. Home african literature african novels and novelists. Download read ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmole 2000 by d. The african writer should aim to use english in a way that brings out his message best without altering the language to the extent that its value as a medium of international exchange will be lost.
This collection of short essays by a stellar cast of scholars focuses mainly on englishlanguage literature, but it includes overviews of the history of yoruba literature as a whole and individual pieces on the work of d. May 15, 2014 the price a world language must be prepared to pay is submission to many different kinds of use. Wole soyinka biography, wife, children, family, quick facts. Fagunwas writing is often regarded by many as the pioneer of yoruba literature especially the novels. Though his relevance as a writer is hardly mentioned in the histories of african literature, fagunwa is considered by critics like abiola irele the. O fagunwa actually wrote another novel titled igbo olodumare forest of the supreme god. He still recalls his experiences with chief daniel olufemi fagunwa, the iconoclastic yoruba writer 19031962, under whom he worked as a secretary. Forest of a thousand daemons city lights bookstore. O fagunwa ireke onibudo etc literaturewriting ads nairaland. The various stories involved people interacting with animals and supernatural creatures, teaching each other life lessons. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The worlds most trusted pdf solution is now the most connected. O fagunwa was the hero of this years annual conference of the association of nigerian authors ana.
At 85, pa anthony olajide fayemis memory waltzes perfectly. There were a few instances where the author was too wordy for my liking, however it didnt last very long. While william shakespeare, as an english poet, playwright and actor could be regarded as the greatest writer of english literature, in the same way, daniel olorunfemi fagunwa could also be. The palmwine drinkard is the brief, thronged, grisly and bewitching story, or series of stories, written in young english by a west african, about the journey of an expert and devoted palmwine. Fagunwa, was a nigerian author who pioneered the yorubalanguage novel. May 09, 2014 at 85, pa anthony olajide fayemis memory waltzes perfectly. This collection of short essays by a stellar cast of scholars focuses mainly on englishlanguage literature, but it includes overviews of the history of yoruba literature as a whole and individual pieces on the. Themes in the literary traditions of contemporary africa are worked out frequently within the strictures laid down by. The term african, when applied in this essay to the novel. The study examines wole soyinkas death and the kings horseman and d. Considering the nigerian literary writers over time, that is, 1700 to the. African literature written in english is not only a literature of great variety and power it is also a literature of world importance, entitled to the most detailed and advanced linguistic and stylistic analysis. In part because of its novelty, in part because of the richness of language, in part because it treated familiar themes and because it relied heavily on folklores with which people were familiar, ogboju ode was an instant success. The name, wole soyinka, is a household name both in africa and beyond especially in the field of literature.
A collection of interesting, important, and controversial perspectives largely excluded from the american mainstream media. Bayo adebowale societyofyoungnigerianwriters march 21, 2012 1 comment lecture delivered by dr. The pioneer creative writer in yoruba, daniel olorunfemi fagunwa was a man whose style of writing was and probably is second to none in the yoruba nation. The soldier ant that falls the errant mammoths in d. Fagunwa, yoruba chief whose series of fantastic novels made him one of nigerias most popular writers.
By the midsixties he was considered the finest writer of. Fagunwa wrote his first novel in the bush vanguard news. Forest of a thousand daemons a h u n t e r s s a g a d. His heroes are usually yoruba hunters, who interact with kings, sages, and even gods in their quests. Yoruba language and literature african studies oxford. Bayo adebowale, directorfounder, african heritage research library and cultural centre, ahrlc adeyipo village, ibadan on the occasion of fagunwa. An oloye of the yoruba people, fagunwa studied at st. Fagunwas 1936 novel ogboju ode ninu igbo irunmale, which has been described as the first novel written in an african indigenous language. Professor wole soyinka, a great and brilliant nigerian writer and political activist, who was the first african to win the nobel prize for literature.
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