Strategic Transformations in Nigerian Writing: Orality and History in the Work of Rev. Samuel Johnson, Amos Tutuola, Wole Soyinka and Ben Okri [Paperback]

. . . a sophisticated and thoughtful study. Leeds African Studies Bulletin

A very impressive work . . . in the concreteness of its research documentation as well as in its theoretical scope, this study brings a truly innovative dimension to African literary scholarship, and indeed to the whole field of African studies. Abiola Irele, Ohio State University

The discussion reveals a combination of formidable analytical and critical strength with a refreshingly open-minded and sensible approach to his field. Karin Barber, University of Birmingham

A bold new interpretation of Nigerian literature.

Ato Quayson is a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and a Lecturer in Commonwealth and International Literature in English.

African Literature and the Question of Orality
Nutritive Junctures: Samuel Johnson and Yoruba Historiography
Treasures of an Opulent Fancy: Amos Tutuola and the Folktale Narrative
The Space of Transformations: Theory, Myth and Ritual in the Work of Wole Soyinka
Narrative Through a Prism of Indigenous Beliefs: Examples from Ben Okri's Short Stories
Harvesting the Folkloric Intuition: The Famished Road
Conclusions and Reflections
Bibliography
Index