A Nobel Prize-winning playwright's classic tale of tragic decisions in a traditional African culture.
Based on events that took place in Oyo, an ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria, in 1946, Wole Soyinka's powerful play concerns the intertwined lives of Elesin Oba, the king's chief horseman; his son, Olunde, now studying medicine in England; and Simon Pilkings, the colonial district officer. The king has died and Elesin, his chief horseman, is expected by law and custom to commit suicide and accompany his ruler to heaven. The stage is set for a dramatic climax when Pilkings learns of the ritual and decides to intervene and Elesin's son arrives home.
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780393322996
Media Type: Paperback(Second Edition)
Publisher: Norton W. W. & Company Inc.
Publication Date: 04-17-2002
Pages: 80
Product Dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.30(d)
About the Author
Wole Soyinka, one of Africa's foremost writers, won the Nobel Prize in 1986 and is the author of Death and the King's Horseman, among other works.