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List of works by Wole Soyinka

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Head and shoulders of an aged black man, with a full head of white hair. He has a medium-sized moustache.
Soyinka in 2018

The works of the Nigerian author Wole Soyinka encompass autobiography, plays, poetry, and teleplays. He has also had an active directing, acting, and speaking career. He is best known for his plays, especially the early plays that were performed in the Royal Court Theatre, where he worked as a play reader.[1] Soyinka's plays are distinct, in style and narration, from African and London theatres. He uses Yoruba language, myth, and ritual in most of his works.[2]

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 in next year. After Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the independence of Biafra in 1966, Soyinka attempted to negotiate between the Nigerian government and the Biafra separatists. It resulted in his arrest, where he was accused of taking sides. In 1969 when the Nigerian Civil War ended, Soyinka was released under amnesty. Madmen and Specialists (1970) was his first play after his release,[3] and his prison experiences were detailed in his book, The Man Died (1972).[4] Soyinka has received many accolades including the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, an extended list of honors and awards, and more than 50 honorary degrees. He is a prolific writer of poetry, having written three poetry collections. Soyinka's successful acting and speaking career included roles in numerous plays, films, television programs, and public talks. 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.[5]

Literature

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Published plays

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Source:[6]

  • 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[7]
  • The Lion and the Jewel (1963); Oxford University Press: Three crowns book series, London and New York. ISBN 9780199110834[7]
  • The Road (1965); Oxford University Press: Three crowns book series, London and New York. ISBN 978-0199110841[7]
  • Kongi's Harvest (1967); Oxford University Press, London. OCLC 460416584[7]
  • Madmen and Specialists (1971); Eyre Methuen, London. ISBN 9780416187601; 1972: Hill and Wang: New York. ISBN 9780809067084[8]
  • The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite (1973); Eyre Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413300201
  • The Jero plays (1972); Eyre Methuen: London. ISBN 9780413292308[8] (Jero's Metamorphosis (1973). Eyre Methuen: London)
  • Collected Plays, Volume I (1973). Oxford University Press: London and New York. ISBN 9780192811363 OCLC 889204010[8] (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

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Source:[9] Unpublished plays are marked with cross sign: +

  • The Invention (1957). Royal Court Theatre: London.[10] +
  • 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.[8]
  • My Father's Burden (6 August 1960). Western Nigerian TV
  • The Tortise (18 December 1960). Nigerian Radio Times
  • Camwood on the Leaves (1973). Eyre Methuen: London.[8]
  • The Detainee (5 September 1965). BBC African Service.

Novels

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Source:[11]

Short stories

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Source:[9] Unpublished stories bear 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

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Poetry collections

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Source:[6]

Essays and lectures

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Source:[16]

Translations

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Source:[9]

Film

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References

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  1. ^ Kan 2024.
  2. ^ Weales 1974, p. 3.
  3. ^ Weales 1974, p. 12.
  4. ^ PEN America 2012.
  5. ^ a b Ige 2024.
  6. ^ a b Gibbs 1976, pp. 33.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Weales 1974, p. 8.
  8. ^ a b c d e Weales 1974, p. 9.
  9. ^ a b c d Gibbs 1976, pp. 34.
  10. ^ Larson 1971, pp. 80.
  11. ^ Gibbs 1976, pp. 35.
  12. ^ Flood 2020.
  13. ^ a b Literary Hub 2023.
  14. ^ Maclean 2021.
  15. ^ Al Majalla 2023.
  16. ^ Gibbs 1976, pp. 34–35.
  17. ^ Gugler 1997, pp. 32–49.

Sources

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