Wole Soyinka, the multi-faceted literary genius from Nigeria, has carved a niche for himself in the history of World literature. He is seen today as a pioneer in the area of Commonwealth drama. Soyinka’s greatness as a superb dramatist is visible in his themes, intellectual sophistication and dramatic technique. In this book, K. Rajkumar has sought to provide a comprehensive critical statement on the plays of Soyinka. The book mainly deals with the predominant motif in the plays. It presents a survey of the African/Nigerian drama and tries to place Soyinka in the tradition of African letters. It offers a specific account of the Kaleidoscopic traditional life of the Yoruba which informs and shapes his plays. It further provides an in-depth study of the man-nature relationships in the dramatic world of soyinka. The book deals with the aspects of religion in terms of rituals, ceremony, festivity and dance. It depicts is a detailed examination of the nature and function of music (song) and dance. The book brilliantly brings out Soyinka’s understanding of life and its miseries. A close study is attempted to view how his vision of life is essentially tragic: ‘that human struggle is unrewarded’. On the whole, the book projects Wole Soyinka as one of the greatest contemporary dramatists. There being a dearth of critical study on Nigerian Literature in India, the present book therefore is a welcome contribution to the study of African, especially Nigerain literature of the post-colonial era.
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