Wole Soyinka is an established African writer of Nigerian origin. He has produced his works in multitude of genres such as drama, novel and poetry. He was the first person to have been awarded the highest of an accolade, the 1986 Nobel Prize, for his contribution to literature.
Born on 13 July 1934 in Abeokuta, he was raised in a Yoruba family and given the name Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka at his birth. His father was an Anglican minister and a school headmaster, while his mother was a political activist and a shop owner. He grew up in a region that followed Yorùbá religious tradition and attended church services like his fellow community members. However, he relinquished his faith and embraced atheism in his later life.
Soyinka received his early education from St. Peters Primary School and Abeokuta Grammar School, where he earned huge praise and prizes for his literary work. Afterwards, he attended the elite Government College in Ibadan. Subsequently, he went on to study at University College affiliated with the University of London, in 1952. Here he studied Western History, English Literature and Greek. He briefly worked for Nigerian Broadcasting Service for a radio play. Then he moved to England and got himself enrolled at the University of Leeds. He studied English literature there and was mentored by Wilson Knight.
Pursuing post-graduation, Wole Soyinka stayed in Leeds in order to experiment with drama writing. During this period he made his debut as a dramatist with his major work Swamp Dwellers (1958). Members of London’s Royal Court Theatre appreciated his light comedy play, The Lion and the Jewel, which encouraged him to relocate to London. These plays discuss the tension and correlation of Nigerian tradition with progress. After providing his services as a play reader, eventually he landed a chance to produce The Invention at Royal Court Theatre in 1957. Moreover, he published a few poems in a Nigerian magazine Black Orpehus, including “My Next Door Neighbour” and “The Immigrant”.
Subsequently, he returned to his homeland Nigeria, as he received a Rockefeller Research Fellowship from University College in Ibadan in 1960. While studying African drama after receiving bursary, he also taught literature and drama at a number of universities. Furthermore, he produced numerous satirical literary works which include his major contribution like The Trials of Brother Jero. It focused on the dynamics of elites’ politics in Nigeria. A Dance of The Forest (1960) one of the milestones in Soyinka’s literary career, as it became the official play for Nigerian Independence Day after winning the contest. Following the success of his works, he established theater groups with a gap of few years, known as “The 1960 Masks” and “Orisun Theatre Company”.
During 1960’s, the civil war broke out in Nigeria which severely affected the infrastructure of the country. Soyinka appealed to his nation for cease-fire through his article that resulted in his arrest for about two years. After his release he produced a re-imagination of Pentheus myth, The Bacchae of Euripides (1969) and a poetry collection Poems from Prison. Among others, one of the major influences on his work was an Irish writer, J.M. Synge. Moreover, he penned only two novels in his literary career. The Interpreters is considered to be a sophisticated narrative writing which is often compared to Faulkner’s and Joyce’s works. Another such complex novel, titled Season of Anomy, focused on the Greek and Yoruba mythology. Wole Soyinka won the 1993 Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, besides other prestigious accolades.