Contents
Wole Soyinka
Writing Death and the King’s Horseman and winning Africa’s first literature Nobel.
Yoruba drama · Aké
- Born
- 13 July 1934
- Birthplace
- Abeokuta, Nigeria
More people
Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet and novelist. His work draws on Yoruba traditions and modern political life, often confronting abuses of power through tragedy, satire and myth.
Early life
Abeokuta childhood
Grew up in an Anglican household within a wider Yoruba cultural world.
University studies
Studied at Ibadan and then the University of Leeds.
Career
- 1950s
British theatre
Worked at London’s Royal Court Theatre while developing plays.
- 1960
Return to Nigeria
Founded the 1960 Masks theatre company around Nigerian independence.
- 1967–1969
Imprisonment
Was detained during the Nigerian civil war after attempts to promote peace.
- 1986
Nobel recognition
Received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Selected work
The Lion and the Jewel
A village comedy explores status, desire and competing ideas of modernity.
Death and the King’s Horseman
A colonial intervention disrupts a ritual obligation in Yoruba society.
Aké
A memoir reconstructs the world of his childhood.
Beyond work
Public dissent
Repeatedly challenged military rule and political repression, including during periods abroad.
Teaching
Held university positions in Nigeria and internationally alongside his writing.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Frankie Fouganthin. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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