List of works by Wole Soyinka
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The works of the Nigerian author Wole Soyinka comprises 25 plays, ten essay collections, seven poetry collections, five memoirs, three novels, and two translated works.[1] He uses Yoruba language, myth, and ritual in most of his works.[2] Soyinka’s unpublished play, The Invention (1957), was his first work to be produced at the Royal Court Theatre, while his first major published plays were The Swamp Dwellers (1958) and The Lion and the Jewel (1959); both which were performed in Ibadan, Nigeria.[3]
In 1965 Soyinka was arrested for taking over a radio station at gunpoint and broadcasting a message which denounced electoral fraud in Western Nigeria. His detention drew international protests, and he was acquitted the following year. After Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the independence of Biafra in 1966, Soyinka attempted to negotiate between the Nigerian government and the Biafra separatists resulted in his arrest, after he was accused of taking sides. After the Nigerian Civil War ended, he was released in 1969 under amnesty.[4] Madmen and Specialists (1970) was his first play after his release,[5] and his prison experiences were detailed in his book, The Man Died (1972).[4] He is a prolific writer of poetry. Soyinka has received many accolades including the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature[6] and an extended list of honors and awards. In August 2014 he delivered a speech entitled "From Chibok with Love" to the World Humanist Congress in Oxford and was awarded the 2014 International Humanist Award.[3]
Literature
[edit]Published plays
[edit]Source:[7]
- Three plays (The Swamp Dwellers, The Trials of Brother Jero, The Strong Breed) (1963). Mbari Publications: Ibadan, Nigeria. OCLC 158189
- A Dance of the Forests (1963). Oxford University Press: Three crowns book series, London and New York. ISBN 9780199110827[8]
- The Lion and the Jewel (1963); Oxford University Press: Three crowns book series, London and New York. ISBN 9780199110834[8]
- The Road (1965); Oxford University Press: Three crowns book series, London and New York. ISBN 978-0199110841[8]
- Kongi's Harvest (1967); Oxford University Press, London. OCLC 460416584[8]
- Madmen and Specialists (1971); Eyre Methuen, London. ISBN 9780416187601; 1972: Hill and Wang: New York. ISBN 9780809067084[9]
- The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite (1973); Eyre Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413300201
- The Jero plays (1972); Eyre Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413292308[9] (Jero's Metamorphosis (1973). Eyre Methuen: London)
- Collected Plays, Volume I (1973). Oxford University Press: London and New York. ISBN 9780192811363 OCLC 889204010[9] (The Strong Breed (1973). ISBN 9780192811363 OCLC 934841733)
- Collected Plays, Volume II (1974). Oxford University Press: London. ISBN 9780192811646
- Death and the King's Horseman (1975). Eyre Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413333506
Other stage plays, revues, radio and TV plays
[edit]Source:[10] Unpublished plays are marked with a cross sign: +
- The Invention (1957). Royal Court Theatre: London.[11] +
- The House of Banigeji, Act 2 in Reflections by F. Ademola (1962). African Universities Press: Lagos.
- The Republican (1964)
- Before the Blackout (1965). Orisun Editions: Ibadan, Nigeria.[9]
- My Father's Burden (6 August 1960). Western Nigerian TV
- The Tortoise (18 December 1960). Nigerian Radio Times
- Camwood on the Leaves (1973). Eyre Methuen: London.[9]
- The Detainee (5 September 1965). BBC African Service
Novels
[edit]Source:[12]
- The Interpreters (1965); Andre Deutsch, London. ISBN 9780233989785 OCLC 1842667 Heinemann: African Writers Series, London (1970). ISBN 9780435900762 OCLC 156254; 1972: Holmes and Meier: New York.[8]
- Season of Anomy (1973); Rex Collings, London. ISBN 9780901720504 OCLC 1094379
- Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth (2021); BookCraft, Nigeria. ISBN 9780593314470;[13] Pantheon Books, New York. ISBN 9780593320167 OCLC 1238132759[14][15] 2021: Bloomsbury Circus, London. ISBN 9781526638243 OCLC 1228321674 2023: Éditions du Seuil, Paris.ISBN 9782021497885 OCLC 1397836911;[14] La nave di Teseo, Italy. ISBN 9788834611784[16]
Short stories
[edit]Source:[10] Unpublished stories are marked with a cross sign: +
- Keffi's Birthday Treat (1954). Nigerian Radio Times: Lagos, Nigeria.
- A Tale of Two Cities (1957). Gryphon; University of Leeds: Leeds.
- A Tale of Two Cities. (1958). New Nigerian Forum: London.
- Madame Etienne's Establishment (1957). Gryphon; University of Leeds.
- Oji River. +
Non-fiction
[edit]- The Man Died: Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka (1972). Rex Collings: London. ISBN 9780901720344 OCLC 637318[10]
- Aké: The Years of Childhood (1981). Rex Collings: London. ISBN 9780860361558 OCLC 8282987
- Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years: a memoir 1945–1965 (1994). Spectrum Books: Ibadan, Nigeria. ISBN 9789782462466 OCLC 33104422
- Ìsarà : A Voyage around "Essay" (1989). Methuen, London. ISBN 9780413634108 OCLC 610678177
- You Must Set Forth at Dawn (2006). Random House: New York. ISBN 9780375503658 OCLC 65562688
- Climate of Fear: The Quest for Dignity in a Dehumanized World (2005). Random House: New York. ISBN 9780812974249
Poetry collections
[edit]Source:[7]
- Idanre and Other Poems (1967). Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413320704; 1968: Hill & Wang. ISBN 9780809057252[8]
- Poems from prison (1969). Rex Collings: London.
- A Shuttle in the Crypt (1972). Rex Collings. ISBN 9780809013647; Eyre Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413288905; 1987: Hill & Wang: New York. ISBN 9780809086672
Essays and lectures
[edit]Source:[17]
- Cor, Teach (1959). University of Ibadan: Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Oga Look Properly (1960). Nigerian Radio Times: Lagos, Nigeria.
- The Old Boys' Dinner (1960). Nigerian Radio Times: Lagos, Nigeria.
- Paris, Wole Soyinka (1960). Nigerian Radio Times: Lagos, Nigeria.
- The Future of West African Writing (1960). The Horn: Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Of Power and Change (1966). African Statesman.
- The Writer in a Modern African State. L'Afrique Actuelle: Paris, France.
- Who Invented the Teenager?. (1965). The Drum: Lagos, Nigeria.
- Amos Tutuola on Stage (1963). University of Ibadan: Ibadan, Nigeria.
- Climate of fear : the reith lectures (2004). Reith lectures series. Bookcraft: Ibadan, Nigeria. ISBN 9789782030641 OCLC 439221570
- Of Africa (2012). Yale University Press: New Haven. ISBN 9780300140460 OCLC 785721970
- Beyond Aesthetics: Use, Abuse, and Dissonance in African Art Traditions (2019). Yale University Press: New Haven. ISBN 9780300247626 OCLC 1135324306
Translations
[edit]Source:[10]
- The Forest of a Thousand Daemons (1968). Nelson publishers: London. (A translation of D. O. Fagunwa's Ògbójú Ọdẹ nínú Igbó Irúnmalẹ̀); 1969: Humanities Press, Inc: New York.[8]
- In the Forest of Olodumare (2010). (A translation of D. O. Fagunwa's Igbó Olódùmarè)
Film
[edit]- Blues for a Prodigal (1963)[3]
- Kongi's Harvest (1973)[18]
References
[edit]- ^ Ogunyemi 2021.
- ^ Weales 1974, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Ige 2024.
- ^ a b PEN America 2012.
- ^ Weales 1974, p. 12.
- ^ Meisler 1986.
- ^ a b Gibbs 1976, pp. 33.
- ^ a b c d e f g Weales 1974, p. 8.
- ^ a b c d e Weales 1974, p. 9.
- ^ a b c d Gibbs 1976, pp. 34.
- ^ Larson 1971, pp. 80.
- ^ Gibbs 1976, pp. 35.
- ^ Flood 2020.
- ^ a b Sert 2023.
- ^ Maclean 2021.
- ^ Waqqas 2023.
- ^ Gibbs 1976, pp. 34–35.
- ^ Gugler 1997, pp. 32–49.
Sources
[edit]- Flood, Alison (28 October 2020). "Wole Soyinka to publish first novel in almost 50 years". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Gibbs, James (1976). "Wole Soyinka: A Selected Bibliography". The Journal of Commonwealth Literature. 10 (3). SAGE Publications: 33–45. doi:10.1177/002198947601000306. ISSN 0021-9894.
- Gugler, Josef (1997). "Wole Soyinka's Kongi's Harvest from Stage to Screen: Four Endings to Tyranny". Canadian Journal of African Studies / Revue Canadienne des Études Africaines. 31 (1). [Taylor & Francis, Ltd., Canadian Association of African Studies]: 32–49. ISSN 0008-3968. JSTOR 485324. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Ige, Tofarati (20 July 2024). "Wole Soyinka: The man, the writer, the enigma". The Punch. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Kan, Toni (14 July 2024). "90 amazing facts about Wole Soyinka @ 90". The Lagos Review. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Larson, Charles (1971). "Soyinka's First Play:". Africa Today. 18 (4). Indiana University Press: 80–83. ISSN 0001-9887. JSTOR 4185199. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Ogunyemi, Ernest (15 July 2021). "52 Books in 64 Years: Your Guide to Wole Soyinka's Body of Work". Open Country Mag. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- Sert, Aysegul (19 October 2023). "Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka on a Lifetime of Art and Activism". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Maclean, Ruth (25 September 2021). "Wole Soyinka Is Not Going Anywhere". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Waqqas, Youssouf (2 July 2023). "Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka: Europe has forgotten history lessons". Al Majalla. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- "Case Histories: Wole Soyinka". PEN America. 16 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- Weales, Gerald (1974). "Wole Soyinka: Yoruba plays for all tribes". Hollins Critic. 11 (5). The Hollins Critic. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- Meisler, Stanley (17 October 1986). "Nigerian Soyinka Awarded Nobel Prize for Literature". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 27 February 2025. Retrieved 27 February 2025.