The first African to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, as well as a political activist of prodigious energies, Wole Soyinka now follows his mo...
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Feb 05, 2009
Just when it seems that the premise of the latest tell-all memoir can't get any thinner, this powerful exemplar of the genre arrives on bookshelves. Soyinka, winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize for literature, delivers a book that is as much a history of a country as it is the story of his life. That Soyinka's story so closely aligns with the history of Nigeria testifies to his ongoing commitment to the cause of democracy, but the focus on politics leaves a few reviewers wishing for more of the perso
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Jan 18, 2008
deb
rated it: 
You Must Set Forth at Dawn: a crappy book. I admit... I read only the first 5 pages. But damnit! I read those 5 pages over and over and still never understood what the author was saying.
Wait wait wait wait... I just saw that I was the only a-hole who rated this one star. AND the author is a Nobel Prize winner for literature. Huh. Something to ponder.
Wait wait wait wait... I just saw that I was the only a-hole who rated this one star. AND the author is a Nobel Prize winner for literature. Huh. Something to ponder.
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May 11, 2007
Jeff
rated it: 
I knew of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. The highly respected and prodigious poet, playwright, novelist and essayist was in self-exile when I first came to Nigeria in 1995. It wasn’t until the despotic dictator, Sani Abacha, who put a price on the professor’s head, died, and the nation was restored to the democracy it barely had an opportunity to foster since the colonial state became a sovereign country in 1960, that Soyinka dared
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Jan 29, 2012
Günter
rated it: 
Biafra 1966 the worst famine in my early memories was a breakaway province of Nigeria with christian communities was the home province of Wole Soyinka. The the peace prize of the german booksellers he had seen his hometown destroyed and Africa behind him as he lived in upstate New York and Frankfurt for the lecture, Biafra is a nightmare.
I might suggest the text as preparatory lecture to princess Okojie-Fritz the lecturer on english on the Edo kingdom of Nigeria, she is a lecturer in More...
I might suggest the text as preparatory lecture to princess Okojie-Fritz the lecturer on english on the Edo kingdom of Nigeria, she is a lecturer in More...
Mar 18, 2010
Wale
rated it:
My first WS book. Found his syntax challenging at first but as I stuck to it it 'softened' up.
Being a Nigerian I have always bemoaned the dearth of documentation concerning events and the lives of important personages on our historical landscape. This book was an eye opener as it is mostly an account of Nigeria's modern history as seen through the events the author was involved in.
Next stop: "Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years, 1946-1965"
Being a Nigerian I have always bemoaned the dearth of documentation concerning events and the lives of important personages on our historical landscape. This book was an eye opener as it is mostly an account of Nigeria's modern history as seen through the events the author was involved in.
Next stop: "Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years, 1946-1965"
May 25, 2009
Becky
rated it:
Author is won the Nobel Prize for lit; memoir of his political life in Nigeria under a variety of dictators - reminder of how little we know of or understand life in countries in the developing world.
Feb 28, 2011
One of the hardest books to understand, if you have an average vocabulary. It centers on his adult life and the things he went through during Nigeria's military coups and all.
Jan 25, 2010
Jason Williams
rated it:
It drags at times, and a bit at the beginning I admit, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. There are some really intense but also humorous points, the the spaces in between construct an enjoyable narrative and memoir.
To me, the only thing missing was a commentary on Nigeria's place as a neo-colonial territory in a post-Cold War scene (i.e. the role of global capital/finance in legitimizing dictatorships like those in Nigeria). I guess there's a backhanded shot at the US anytime he p More...
To me, the only thing missing was a commentary on Nigeria's place as a neo-colonial territory in a post-Cold War scene (i.e. the role of global capital/finance in legitimizing dictatorships like those in Nigeria). I guess there's a backhanded shot at the US anytime he p More...
May 30, 2008
Kara
rated it:
I loved Soyinka's childhood memoir (Ake), but I'm finding this one deadly dull. I was looking forward to getting a glimpse of the ups and downs of Nigerian politics through Soyinka's life, but at 80 pages in, I'm not finding a narrative emerging. I can count on one hand the number of books I've put down unfinished, but I'm afraid I have to add this one to the list. Maybe I'll come back to it later.
Mar 01, 2008
Karrie
rated it:
A beautiful book, at times humorous, at times intense, and still at times moving. Reading it was like being taken through an emotional journary. Wole Soyinka is an extraoridinary human being, with so much passion and courage. One can't help but be inspired by his love of life, which really shines through his lyrical writing.
Jan 24, 2008
Keith
rated it:
Great historical viewpoint on the history of Nigerian dictatorships since independence from Britain and also a record of British complicity in the tragic post colonial history of that country. I wish he would have enlightened us on certain aspects of his priviate life a little more. He barely mentions his first wife.
Jul 12, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
I have not read very far, but the exquisite writing fascinates me. I can see all of the images he paints with his words. My favorite excerpt so far. "Traveler, you must set forth At dawn I promise marvels of the holy hour..."
Jan 15, 2010
Hamilton
rated it:
Really enjoyed this book. I never realised how intertwined Soyinka's adulthood is with modern Nigeria history. At every major happening in Nigeria, Soyinka crops up somewhere. A great book.
Jun 06, 2008
Hope
rated it:
Wonderful writing, fantastic story. A humanitarian, an activist, a Nobel Prize in Literature. I have seen many interviews with Soyinka and admire him greatly.
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