Ken Saro-Wiwa – författare

Sozaboy powerfully describes the fate of a young, naive soldier thrown into the frontline of a civil war, from his first proud days of recruitment to the disillusionment and horrors that follow.Mene yearns for manhood. He dreams of gaining the glory that the ex-soldier in his village brags about, with his stories of hunting ‘Hitla’. So when war breaks out and soldiers appear in Mene’s isolated village, he sees his chance to finally wear a uniform. Too soon, however, Mene’s innocence turns to terror. While witnessing the unfathomable, Mene must learn to evade the carnage of warfare if he wants to make it home alive...Writing in Nigerian Pidgin English, Ken Saro-Wiwa creates a unique window into the dark consequences of meaningless war.’Haunting.’ Guardian ‘Sozaboy is not simply a great African novel, it is also a great anti-war novel, among the very best the twentieth century has produced.’ William Boyd

Ken Saro-Wiwa — activist, satirist, and one of Nigeria’s most distinctive literary voices — brings sharp wit and moral clarity to this collection of nineteen short stories.A Forest of Flowers is a collection that explores the absurdity of everyday life in a society where even modest hopes are sabotaged — by corrupt officials, adulterous partners, jealous relatives, and opportunistic entrepreneurs. Through intimate vignettes, Saro-Wiwa reveals a nation unraveling under the weight of misrule, greed, and self-interest. Its people endure government neglect, poverty, disease, superstition, and ethnic tension, struggling to survive amid systemic abuse and social decay.Discover more from the APOLLO AFRICA series: the new home for 100 timeless works from the legendary Heinemann African Writers Series.

Sozaboy powerfully describes the fate of a young, naive soldier thrown into the frontline of a civil war, from his first proud days of recruitment to the disillusionment and horrors that follow.Mene yearns for manhood. He dreams of gaining the glory that the ex-soldier in his village brags about, with his stories of hunting ''Hitla''. So when war breaks out and soldiers appear in Mene''s isolated village, he sees his chance to finally wear a uniform. Too soon, however, Mene''s innocence turns to terror. While witnessing the unfathomable, Mene must learn to evade the carnage of warfare if he wants to make it home alive...Writing in Nigerian Pidgin English, Ken Saro-Wiwa creates a unique window into the dark consequences of meaningless war.''Haunting.'' Guardian ''Sozaboy is not simply a great African novel, it is also a great anti-war novel, among the very best the twentieth century has produced.'' William Boyd