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Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
'Soyinka's greatest novel'
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,115 ratings, 228 reviews)
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Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
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Description
Soyinka's greatest novel ... No one else can write such a book - Ben Okri
A lion of African literature - Financial Times
Chronicles is many things at once: a caustic political satire, a murder mystery, a conspiracy story and a deeply felt lament for the spirit of a nation - Juan Gabriel Vásquez, New York Times
A FINANCIAL TIMES AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR
To Doctor Menka’s horror, some cunning entrepreneur has decided to sell body parts from his hospital for use in ritualistic practices. Already at the end of his tether from the horrors he routinely sees in surgery, he shares this latest development with his oldest college friend, bon viveur, star engineer and Yoruba royal, Duyole Pitan-Payne, who has never before met a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Neither realise how close the enemy is, nor how powerful.
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is at once a savagely witty whodunit, a scathing indictment of Nigeria’s political elite, and a provocative call to arms from one of the country’s most relentless political activists and an international literary giant.
A high-jinks state-of-the-nation novel - Chibundu Onuzo
Chronicles is a good model for what the political novel should be: fearless, disdaining formal constraints, sparing no one - Guardian
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Wole Soyinka's Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is highly praised for its caustic satire and vivid style. It delivers a compelling critique of power and corruption in Nigeria, blending elements of murder mystery, political commentary, and cultural insight. Critics admire its fearless narrative and complex examination of societal issues, offering both humour and pathos through rich, flamboyant language. The novel is celebrated as a powerful political work that challenges and engages readers on contemporary issues.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781526638250
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 September 2022
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 340g
Pages: 464
About the Author
Born in Nigeria in 1934, Wole Soyinka is an author, playwright, poet and political activist. His prolific body of work includes debut novel The Interpreters and play Death and the King’s Horseman. Soyinka fought in the Nigerian war of independence and has subsequently been one of greatest critics of the Nigerian government. Twice jailed, he wrote part of his memoir on toilet paper in solitary confinement. A staunch critic of corrupt, authoritarian regimes everywhere, Soyinka destroyed his Green Card when Trump was elected in 2016. He is Africa’s first Nobel Laureate in Literature.
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The Interpreters
Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka’s debut novel tells the story of a group of friends facing political corruption and cultural uncertainty in post-independence Nigeria. Friends since high school, Egbo, Bandele, Sagoe, Sekoni and Kola have returned to Lagos after studying abroad. As they navigate wild parties, affairs of the heart, philosophical debates, and professional dilemmas, they struggle to reconcile the cultural...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Death and the King's Horseman
The action of the play is as inevitable and eloquent as in Antigone: a clash of values and cultures so fundamental that tragedy issues: a tragedy for each individual, each tribe. – Daily Telegraph This play, by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, asks: 'On the authority of what gods' the white aliens rupture the world. It puts...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Death and the King's Horseman
A masterpiece of 20th century drama. - The Guardian Death and the King's Horseman centres around Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, who has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King's favourite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British Colonial Officer, Pilkings, intervenes to prevent...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Soyinka Plays: 1
Six masterful works by the Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian playwright. Death and the King's Horseman: 'A transfixing work of modern world drama' - Independent Madmen and Specialists: 'A luminous play, examining the way in which war exposes and clarifies human conduct' - Observer Opera Wonyosi, adapted from Gay's The Beggar's Opera: 'Swaggering and scabrous, at once a verbal spree and a...Paperback$5199Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Beyond Aesthetics
An intimate reflection on culture and tradition, creativity and power, that draws on a lifetime’s commitment to aesthetic encounter. The playwright, poet, essayist, novelist, and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka is also a longtime art collector. This book of essays offers a glimpse into the motivations of the collector, as well as a highly personal look at the politics of aesthetics...Hardback$5399Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks -
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth
Soyinka's greatest novel ... No one else can write such a book - Ben Okri A high-jinks state-of-the-nation novel - Chibundu Onuzo A FINANCIAL TIMES AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR A towering figure in world literature, Wole Soyinka aims directly at the corridors of power as he warns against corruption both of high office and of the soul, with...HardbackSold Out -
Of Africa
A Nobel laureate offers a keen, thought-provoking analysis of Africa's current crises and points the way to cultural and political renewal. A member of the unique generation of African writers and intellectuals who came of age in the last days of colonialism, Wole Soyinka has witnessed the promise of independence and lived through postcolonial failure. He deeply comprehends the pressing...PaperbackSold Out
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