soyinka has received a nobel prize and many people have praised his semi-autobiographical novel ake, but i struggled to reach its end. it was slow, choppy, and difficult to connect with any of the characters. it is the tale of wole, told from his perspective, as he grows from a toddler to a young boy in WWII-era nigeria. soyinka does a fine job of describing things from a child's eyes, but it is hardly enough to carry the book. i found myself daydreaming while i read -- there was no connection to the story or its characters. i read faster as i neared the end, but only to reach the conclusion, not because i was becoming more interested.

What an incredible memoir - written by a Nobel Laureate using his childhood voice. Life in Nigeria in the 30s and 40s had its palette of issues - from politics to conflicting religions. His writing can be a bit thick - but if you stay with it there is a fascinating rhythm to his storytelling. Refreshingly different perspective of the world, from a relatively remote region of the world.

This was a difficult book to read because of all of the cultural references I didn't understand. I enjoyed the book a lot more after our in-class discussion of it, and I would revisit it again someday.

Wole Soyinka’s autobiography, Ake: the Years of Childhood, tells of a Nigerian boy’s daily life before and during World War II. His story originally focuses around his household and school, but becomes more emotionally intense as the story of his childhood progresses. This progression is not only because he is growing older, but because he has been given a political foundation from which to actively process and engage with his surroundings. He notices changes around him, specifically regarding women. Soyinka is fascinated by the unrest of the village women regarding taxes and integrates himself in the cause. Soyinka’s foundation for politics may have been laid by his father, but it is his mother’s feminist activities that seize him. The evolution presented is one of feminist awakening.



To read my paper "Wole Soyinka's Feminist Awakening" please visit: http://writerrhiannon.blogspot.com/20...

Soyinka gets into the mind of a child in this biography, or perhaps memoir (?), better than any fiction or nonfiction work I've read. I found it very relatable. Which surprised me, even as I write it, because it is about growing up in rural Nigeria.

This is one funny book. As far as memoirs go, I would never have predicted that memories from such a recognized African writer could be so hilarious. I have read it many times. It's a fixture in my library and it still cracks me up.

To quote the back cover (because it's so lovely): "What if V.S. Naipaul were a happy man? What if V.S. Pritchett had loved his parents? What if Vladimir Nabakov had grown up in a small town in Western Nigeria ad decided that politics were not unworthy of him? [...] It is a company of children who grow up without forgetting anything, children who grow up in a garden of too many cultures" (John Leonard, New York Times)
This is an absolutely beautiful book about childhood, and about growing up in Africa in the 40s. Delightfully universal and at the same time delightfully specific; one feels a part of Wole's family. My regret is that it ended so suddenly; I wanted to continue on with his life as he grew older. I definitely plan to read more by Soyinka.

I couldn't cope with the Norwegian translation (1985), it felt very artificial and somehow alienated me from the story. Maybe it's unfair on the translator and merely is the author's style which I can't cope with, it's hard to tell, but I believe at least part of the problem is the translation. I'll make another attempt at Soyinka some time. Won't rate it, as I only made it half through.

Väldigt intressant att läsa om en kultur som för mig personligen är så okänd. Roligt med ett barns perspektiv och minnen. Kanske var det därför jag ibland tyckte att det dök upp sidospår utan byte av stycke. Ett barns (eller mitt eget) sätt att berätta något på, allt som koms på måste komma med.

The autobiography of the 1986 Nobel prize winner from about three or four to eleven. I don't generally like stories told from the perspective of young children, but this book was incredible; since it's nonfiction it's not required to be tragic, but it's not all nostalgia either; it is just fun to read, Soyinka comes across a bright, somewhat mischievous child; his parents, "Essay" and "Wild Christian" -- apparently its a cultural norm to refer to close relatives by nicknames -- are very interesting characters. His father was the headmaster of the local school for young children, and his mother ran a small shop. The family was part of the Christian elite of Ak��, a small town near Abeokuta in Southwestern Nigeria, somewhat northwest of Lagos. His grandfather was a pagan, and there are many references to the more superstitious parts of the traditional religion -- Soyinka did not become interested in the religion seriously until somewhat later. This book has many memorable incidents, and the writing is wonderful -- although events are seen from a child's perspective the language is in no way simplistic. Near the end, he begins to understand more of the politics, and the last two chapters deal with a struggle against the local authorities by the women of the community. Although he naturally assumes much of Yoruba culture, the book is not difficult in the way some of his plays based on Yoruba beliefs are.

Soyinka was a significant figure in developing my love for poetry. I've carried around a poem by him, an 'always all-time fave,' through years and places after discovering it in a Lit class. Since then, I've dipped in and out of other poems, touching base with his words here and there, always planning to get to know more of his works and more of the poet himself.

A couple of years ago, I decided that the first of his book-shaped works I'd read would be this childhood memoir, chosen at random (after which I'd move on to his plays; some already obtained, waiting to be read). Another arbitrary 'rule' I adhered to was not allowing myself to order the book, it had to be found. I'm glad I held on to this goal and saw it through.

It's by far the best childhood memoir I've read. Soyinka's prose doesn't disappoint. Poetic in its storytelling, this work is loyal to the trickiness of memory without exaggerating the choppy currents of remembrance -- its narration held together by a balance of the personal and documentation. Loved it.

Nigeryjski noblista opisuje w tej powieści swoje dzieciństwo w Aké. Jako syn dyrektora szkoły wychowuje się w stosunkowo uprzywilejowanych warunkach. Wole to bardzo mądry chłopiec, który już w wieku trzech lat zaczyna chodzić do szkoły i swoimi umiejętnościami zaskakuje nauczycieli i rówieśników. Życie w Aké obserwujemy więc oczyma bystrego chłopca, który nie wszystko rozumie i przedstawia wiele spraw ze swojej perspektywy.

Wole opowiada więc o stosunkach w domu, między rodzicami i rodzeństwem. Wspomina o licznych krewnych i znajomych, których rodzice przygarniają, a którzy stają się dla nich kolejnymi dziećmi. Sporo jest o pracy matki, która prowadzi lokalny sklep. Mimo że rodzina Wole jest chrześcijańska, wierzenia ludu Joruba odgrywają ogromną rolę - religie przeplatają się i mają wielki wpływ na życie ludzi. Bardzo istotną częścią powieści jest walka kobiet, w którą zaangażowana jest matka. Kobiety są podporą rodzin, wychowują często gromadę dzieci same i z trudem wiążą koniec z końcem, zwłaszcza że obarczane są wysokimi podatkami. Matka Wole jest jedną z przywódczyń ruchu kobiet, organizuje wyjazdy na protesty, tworzy pisma i postulaty, aktywnie demonstruje, a mały Wole jest cichym obserwatorem i pomocnikiem.

Ciąg dalszy: https://przeczytalamksiazke.blogspot....