its really an epic story, every male nigerian who had his childhood in a village can relate. The yoruba nicknames, the banters etc

I expected to get a lot more from Wole Soyinka’s Aké than I did. It’s not every day that the childhood memoirs of a Nobel Laureate come to hand. Expectation demanded something special, something revelatory perhaps, from the formative years of a man who grew up to be one of the greatest writers of all time. What Aké presented was in fact exactly what it said on the tin. It’s a childhood memoir. There are no great moments, no previously hidden insights on how to achieve greatness. But there is a life, and perhaps that is our clue.

Born into a teaching family, Wole Soyinka lovingly recalls a headmaster father he calls Essay and a severe mother nicknamed Wild Christian, who certainly is the ruler of the household. But around this potentially unlocatable family, there exists an eclectic mixture of Yoruba tradition, imported educational values and imposed colonial rule.

The young writer’s concerns, however, are exactly what might be expected of a growing lad. He chases things, explores, is naughty – sometimes very naughty! He is punished and rewarded. Life goes on. There are local concerns, sometimes wider ones. He eats plenty of good food and, by no means uniquely, but certainly eloquently, describes the multicultural reality of colonial West Africa.

Whether it was the reader or the writer is unclear, but when, about half way through the book, Wole Soyinka starts to relate his school experiences, Aké seems to change into a different, much more vivid book. Recollections become stronger, more deeply felt, more keenly described. What had already been a joy now becomes thoroughly engaging as well.

Wole Soyinka’s neighbours did become objects of great interest, and not merely because they figured in this book. Their name, Ransome Kuti, may be familiar. It’s a family that produced in successive generations two of Nigeria’s most famous musicians. Strangely, their family too lives its life just like the others, with no apparent inkling of the greatness to come.

As Aké progressed and this reader continued to search for what made the author such a great writer, it began to become clear that the only thing that made this man was experience, something we all share. Individually, any experience is unique; it does not need to be dramatic, violent, broken or ecstatic to be special. It is special because it was experienced. And this is what makes Aké, in the end, such a great statement. It’s life. Let’s get on with it.

I’ve just finished reading this in preparation of a visit to my wife’s country and city of birth: Lagos, Nigeria.

Well it did what I’d hoped: provided insight into Yoruba society in the early part of the 20th Century and an insight into Wole Soyinka’s character.

Is it an absolutely outstanding novel in terms of plot, writing, character development etc? I didn’t think so, but it was still a very enjoyable memoir to read by one of Nigeria’s literary masters! Definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in Wole Soyinka and/or Yoruba society.

This book offers a lot of interesting vignettes, particularly on the theme of the strangeness and inconsistency of adult behavior in the eyes of a child. But I was rarely completely sucked in. Mostly I think I failed this book as a reader.

A beautiful bildungsroman, brimming with sights, smells and sounds. Our inquisitive and endearing protagonist watches his world expand beyond the parsonage he calls home into a social and political landscape unlike anything books have prepared him to embrace. Yet embrace it he does, always with a keen eye and a question in mind. Aké: The Years of Childhood is a true pleasure to read and is an adventure for both Wole and us from beginning to end.

I've almost finished teaching "Things Fall Apart" with this year's 10th graders, so that story was still fresh in my mind while I read this memoir by another Nigerian writer. Whereas Achebe writes about the Igbo people, though, Soyinka is from the western, Yoruba, part of the country. This made for an interesting contrast between the two cultures, languages, etc. Also, Achebe's book deals with the time right before colonization really took hold, and "Ake" takes place during World War II; by then, many British customs were entrenched in the schools, government, etc., and at the end of the book people are just starting to discuss independence and nationalism.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but often the writing felt too dense for the light-hearted stories about Soyinka's early years. The young narrator was endearing, though, and I especially loved his descriptions of his parents' interactions--they sound like a pretty amazing family.

Wole Soyinka's Ake: The Years of Childhood is a memoir which tells an engaging story of the early phase of his life as a child.
Central to the memoir is Soyinka's father who happened to be a Headmaster with an eccentric behaviour, his mother, known as 'Wild Christian' and his siblings. The dynamics within the family is indeed a blend of tradition and the 'modern'.
Moreover, the contrast in the beliefs of his parents I think paints a better picture of some of the factors which shaped the mind of the young Soyinka.
The events he witnessed, culture and society in which he was born into and how he perceived and tried to make sense of these with an inexperience and nascent mind is really fascinating.
The story of how he causally began school and his inquisitive spirit is just astonishing and amusing at the same time.
Most importantly, accidentally, during this phase of Soyinka's life events which marked perhaps scarred history were taking place -The 2nd World War, Colonialism(Nigeria under Britain) and, the Women's Movement in Egbaland.
Personally, I was intrigued by the story of the bodacious, assertive and tenacious Women's Movement of Egbaland, a movement led by Mrs. Kuti against the taxation of women and the failure of the Alake and his follow traditional rulers to act in response to the women's demand was observed through the eyes of the young Soyinka who happened to be the courier for the Women's movement is beautifully narrated in the book.

It is worth reading, check it out.

I haven't read this for years, but I'm putting it up for Adri. One of my all-time favorites, a beautifully-written memoir of Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka's childhood, it changed the way I think about so many things. Last I heard, Soyinka was in prison in Nigeria for political activism, but that was a lot of years ago. So many fascinating themes as worlds collide: childhood and adulthood; tribal and "Christian" (not my personal idea of what Christianity is in any way); African and Western materialism; nuturing and violent. I loved thinking about this in terms of Joseph Campbell's ideas, especially the parts about initiation rites and tribalism. Soyinka is most famous for his plays, and I saw one performed, but this is the piece that I continue to love and think about. I can't remember the play very well, except that it was considered politically dangerous.

One of my favorite books ever. Loved it so much!

Soyinka's vividly retold childhood reminded me a bit of The Famished Road; he makes his memories into winning anecdotes.

I kept starting this book, and then putting it down to read other things, but I'm really glad I picked it back up and finished it! I literally laughed out loud at several points throughout the story, but the overall story arc, and especially the ending of the book, was truly inspirational. It's obviously a very personal story of one man's early years, but he really put everything in historical context and helped me to understand historical events (particularly the Holocaust and WWII) as they affected individuals and families in Africa. His very empowering story of the plight of poor women in Nigeria, and how women from all backgrounds and situations (market traders, farmers, rich and poor women alike) came together to support each other and help themselves and each other, was what really put this book over the top for me.

Gli undici anni di fanciullezza di Wole Soynka - nigeriano, premio Nobel per la letteratura nel 1986 -, che in questo romanzo autobiografico racconta il passaggio dalla fanciullezza all'età adulta, non solo suo come bambino e poi uomo ma anche di Aké, il paese dove è nato e cresciuto, e della società di Aké con le sue lotte, le sue difficoltà e le sue gioie quotidiane. Sullo sfondo, le vicende storiche che coinvolgono la Nigeria in quanto colonia inglese, gli albori della seconda guerra mondiale, la paura di Hitler - una figura astratta per i bambini, che percepiscono la sua negatività e finiscono per concretizzare quell'astrattezza nel primo militare che vedono ad Aké, che si rivelerà essere lo zio di Wole e che finiranno per picchiare proprio perché in lui riconoscono Hitler.
Insomma, un romanzo autobiografico estremamente completo: divertente, saggio, raffinato, nella cui trama, a tratti picaresca, si intessono il carattere mitologico e quello politico della società nigeriana del primo Novecento. Un mix di storie, credenze, spiritualità, convinzioni, identità, influenze e differenze - nel senso di unicità, particolarità - che lasciano il lettore incantato.