Yoruba storytelling has produced some of the most celebrated writing in Africa. This guide introduces four writers and their best-known works. Dates and titles follow common references; check a library catalogue for exact editions.
Four writers to know
| Writer | Known for |
|---|---|
| Wole Soyinka (born 1934, Abeokuta) | Playwright, poet and essayist; won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, the first African to do so. Works include The Lion and the Jewel and the memoir Aké: The Years of Childhood. |
| Amos Tutuola (1920–1997) | Author of The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952) and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1954), which draw on Yoruba folktales. |
| D. O. Fagunwa (1903–1963) | Often described as the author of the first major novel in Yoruba, published in 1938; Soyinka translated it into English as Forest of a Thousand Daemons. |
| Akinwumi Isola (1939–2018) | Playwright and novelist who wrote in Yoruba; he wrote the screenplay of the film Saworoide. |
Why they matter
These writers took Yoruba proverbs, folktales and oral tradition onto the page. Read more on that tradition in our guides to Ijapa the tortoise folktales, Yoruba proverbs and oríkì praise poetry. See Isola’s screenplay on screen in our profile of Tunde Kelani.
Read them in Yoruba too
If you want to read in Yoruba, start with the alphabet and tone marks and the 30-day study plan.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the first African Nobel laureate in literature? Wole Soyinka, in 1986.
What is The Palm-Wine Drinkard? A 1952 novel by Amos Tutuola, based on Yoruba folktales.
Photo: Unsplash contributor, a notebook and pencil, illustrative of writing; it does not show any of the writers. Dates and titles follow common references and may vary between sources.
