Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-12-24 06:51:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Wole Soyinka
- ISBN：0593316436
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Summary
In an imaginary Nigeria， a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr。 Menka's hospital for use in ritualistic practices。 Dr。 Menka shares the grisly news with his oldest college friend， bon viveur， star engineer， and Yoruba royal， Duyole Pitan-Payne--the life of every party-- who is about to assume a prestigious post at the United Nations in New York。 It now seems that someone is determined that he not make it there。 Neither Dr。 Menka nor Duyole knows why， or how close the enemy is， how powerful。
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is at once a literary hoot， a crafty whodunit， and a scathing indictment of Nigeria's political elite。 It is a stirring call to arms against the abuse of power from one of that country's fiercest political activists， who just happens to be a global literary giant。
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is at once a literary hoot， a crafty whodunit， and a scathing indictment of Nigeria's political elite。 It is a stirring call to arms against the abuse of power from one of that country's fiercest political activists， who just happens to be a global literary giant。
Reviews
Lisa
，
I dipped my toe into this book and I think it wasn't for me - I couldn't keep track of the characters and I think a lot was beyond me。 I dipped my toe into this book and I think it wasn't for me - I couldn't keep track of the characters and I think a lot was beyond me。 。。。more
Udisha Jain （bookstacks_literature）
，
Chronicles from the land of the happiest people on Earth by Wole Soyinka will take you to an entirely different literary planet mirroring reality。 He weaves words as precious as a pearl necklace， my vocabulary just increased by a 60 percent when I finished the book。 Some words were extremely difficult but then as a reader i could not go beyond before understanding the meaning。 The public is very Correct to call him a literary giant。 The book is like a disco ball， it will make your reader brain d Chronicles from the land of the happiest people on Earth by Wole Soyinka will take you to an entirely different literary planet mirroring reality。 He weaves words as precious as a pearl necklace， my vocabulary just increased by a 60 percent when I finished the book。 Some words were extremely difficult but then as a reader i could not go beyond before understanding the meaning。 The public is very Correct to call him a literary giant。 The book is like a disco ball， it will make your reader brain dance。 The characters of the book are down to earth， the reality is beautifully presented in certain chapters of the book， the paper quality， cover is one of the finest。Though I really really wish that the font could have been bigger for an even more smoother reading experience。 Each page carries a message， a real life lesson of its own kind that will deeply settle in your consciousness。I would like to thank @bloomsburyindia for sending me this book for reading and reviewing。 。。。more
Michael Sanderson-green
，
I don’t think I know enough to totally understand this satirical novel about Nigerian sociopolitical environment。 It was also a wade with great need of editing。 If your after finding out more about Nigeria don’t both。
Helena Eatock
，
I ruined my own reading of this book。 I was so focused on staying on top of the plot， narrative and the movements of each character （there were many） that certain themes - e。g。 disappearance and reappearance - were lost on me。 Perhaps this is a testament to the book's characterisation - I did feel attached to Papa Davina before he fizzled into the background， for example。 I've not laughed out loud reading a book that tackles as weighty a subject as corruption and terrorism before， though！ The gr I ruined my own reading of this book。 I was so focused on staying on top of the plot， narrative and the movements of each character （there were many） that certain themes - e。g。 disappearance and reappearance - were lost on me。 Perhaps this is a testament to the book's characterisation - I did feel attached to Papa Davina before he fizzled into the background， for example。 I've not laughed out loud reading a book that tackles as weighty a subject as corruption and terrorism before， though！ The grotesque comedy of this book， its satirical qualities basically。。。 were great。 I just found the prose/narrative difficult to work with （which probably says more about me。。）。 Keen to read more Soyinka， perhaps one of his plays。。。 can definitely see his genuis 。。。more
Faith
，
I don’t know anything about Nigerian society or politics， so a book satirizing them is way over my head。 This was just confusing to me。 If the book had been shorter I might have soldiered on， but I didn’t enjoy the writing style and I wasn’t willing to spend 22 hours on the audiobook。 I had not reached the events described in the blurb， when I abandoned the book。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher。
Mrs J M Sandford
，
Excellent。
Izzy
，
It was very hard to get into， but after about 15% the characters captured me; the Gong of 4， turns out to be an intricate mechanism for a plot that could not have taken place anywhere but in Nigeria。 Although I haven’t been to Nigeria for 50 years， I found great verisimilitude and fantastic characters。 I thin Farodian was most complex， but the Engineer and the surgeon were closely trailing。 The accountant， not so much。 The theme of body parts for sale was a little off the happiness theme， but it It was very hard to get into， but after about 15% the characters captured me; the Gong of 4， turns out to be an intricate mechanism for a plot that could not have taken place anywhere but in Nigeria。 Although I haven’t been to Nigeria for 50 years， I found great verisimilitude and fantastic characters。 I thin Farodian was most complex， but the Engineer and the surgeon were closely trailing。 The accountant， not so much。 The theme of body parts for sale was a little off the happiness theme， but it fit the overall arc of the book and works as a device。 。。。more
Lynn
，
A religious cult trades in human body parts and acts in conjunction with the government in power。
Md Akhlaq
，
'You see， if you inhabit a dung heap， you can still ensure that you are sitting on top of it'。 That is the other perspective。 It is what separates those who are called from the common herd。 It sits at the heart of human desire'。An intriguing political satire pointing out the abuse of power by the political activists set in an imaginary Nigeria， a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr Menka's hospital for use in ritualistic practices。 Dr Menka shares the grisly news with his o 'You see， if you inhabit a dung heap， you can still ensure that you are sitting on top of it'。 That is the other perspective。 It is what separates those who are called from the common herd。 It sits at the heart of human desire'。An intriguing political satire pointing out the abuse of power by the political activists set in an imaginary Nigeria， a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr Menka's hospital for use in ritualistic practices。 Dr Menka shares the grisly news with his oldest college friend， bon viveur， star engineer， and Yoruba royal， Duyole Pitan-Payne--the life of every party-- who is about to assume a prestigious post at the United Nations in New York。 It now seems that someone is determined that he not make it there。 Neither Dr Menka nor Duyole knows why， or how close the enemy is， how powerful。Written by the Nobel Prize-winning writer and activist Wole Soyinka。 As I've attempted to know the reality of Nigeria through some other resources， I would say， and this would not be an exaggeration to say that the writing of this book resonates with the dreadful truths of the real Nigeria。It's not an easy book to go over， and it expects a substantial amount of patience and concentration from the readers considering its expanse， numerous characters and the profundity of the subject as well。 This is a complex， complicated， and often obsessive read， with a large cast of characters。To be very honest I was not aware of Soyonika and his Nobel writing， but this book blew me away。 He's Africa's first Nobel Laureate in Literature。Also， I'm convinced， and I'll re-read this book to understand each of its trajectories。 It includes three main characters: Sir Goddie Danfere， political leader of such a party that prospers un-democratically in a democratic nation。 Modu Udensi Oromotaya， media in Chief。 Papa Divina， a religious figure/guru or extortionist。 These all three are working collectively through a kind of pact made in the past。 Their union and reunion is such a fascinating angle of this novel。 Its beginning sequence may seem a little bit draggy， but after a time you'll just love it。The style of writing is tremendous， concealing brutal violence in rejuvenating prose。 It's certainly a masterpiece of modern literature。 。。。more
LeeAnn Heringer
，
It wasn't so much that the language patterns were off because if you only want to hear American voices， only read American authors （which Wole Soyinka is not）。 So， I did enjoy the language of the novel。 It's more that there were plot points that were so Nigerian specific that they were lost on me。 I could catch that he was riffing on something， but I couldn't catch why I was supposed to think that something was funny or ironic or sarcastic。 The big reveal in the last paragraph I had figured out It wasn't so much that the language patterns were off because if you only want to hear American voices， only read American authors （which Wole Soyinka is not）。 So， I did enjoy the language of the novel。 It's more that there were plot points that were so Nigerian specific that they were lost on me。 I could catch that he was riffing on something， but I couldn't catch why I was supposed to think that something was funny or ironic or sarcastic。 The big reveal in the last paragraph I had figured out 100s of pages before then。So， for me， it wasn't so much a satire about government corruption （because maybe that I didn't get that part）， it was more of a story about how inseparable childhood friends go different directions and years down the road may be very close allies or enemies。 That the people who can really destroy you are the people close enough to shove the knife in your ribs。 。。。more
Kit Wren
，
Wole Soyinka returned to the novel after almost fifty years solely out of boredom， and I am certainly not this productive when bored。 This is a lively and consciously ridiculous satire of the Nigerian ruling elite， people so obsessed with appearances that the business of governance revolves around a yearly awards show。 The generational clashes between young idealists and established power， and between pan-africanism and those who aspire to European stamps of approval also play out onstage， with Wole Soyinka returned to the novel after almost fifty years solely out of boredom， and I am certainly not this productive when bored。 This is a lively and consciously ridiculous satire of the Nigerian ruling elite， people so obsessed with appearances that the business of governance revolves around a yearly awards show。 The generational clashes between young idealists and established power， and between pan-africanism and those who aspire to European stamps of approval also play out onstage， with stakes that are maddeningly small。 Everything seems zany and outlandish but there are direct analogues to Nigerian public figures， making this a cousin to the caldera novels of latin america like Autumn of the Patriarch by Marquez， though this is also a strong African tradition， with Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow and Achebe's A Man of the People standing out。 Soyinka's bizarre and rambly tale is much closer to Crow than to his countryman Achebe。 。。。more
Kyle C
，
Cynical and at the same time flippantly whimsical， Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is the macabre story of a prince， a UN engineer and an eminent surgeon， whose lives become entangled in a blackmarket trade of human organs。 In landscape， Soyinka's novel lampoons corrupt bigwigs and predatory evangelists in a satirical tone of gruesome drollery。 It directs its most scathing humor at a system of government more concerned with crowd-pleasing festivities， public accolades an Cynical and at the same time flippantly whimsical， Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is the macabre story of a prince， a UN engineer and an eminent surgeon， whose lives become entangled in a blackmarket trade of human organs。 In landscape， Soyinka's novel lampoons corrupt bigwigs and predatory evangelists in a satirical tone of gruesome drollery。 It directs its most scathing humor at a system of government more concerned with crowd-pleasing festivities， public accolades and self-serving sobriquets （the Prime Minister is to be called the Nation's Servant， then the Nation's Valet and then finally the People's Steward）。 "Brand the land" becomes the epitomizing slogan for a government obsessed with marketing over governing。The style of writing is cumbersome， disguising brutal violence in clinical prose。 In a particularly grotesque moment， the narrator recounts a public act of exorcism and rape in language that is bafflingly frivolous and occultly obscurantist （"he placed his hand on her bowed head， most conveniently level with the storehouse of male procreative energies"）。 Later in the story， a gory act of homicide by stone is described transcendentally （the stone "took on an iconic dimension that struck instantly to Menka's surgical album of retentions， a rampant insignia of the transfiguration of a collective psyche"）。 There is constant whiplash between extreme violence and effusive levity， all told in a prolix style of ironic commentary。 Throughout the novel， Soyinka repeatedly uses old parlor-tricks for narrative momentum: lots of cliffhangers， plot-danglers， contrived twists， flashbacks and flash-forwards and meandering backstories， a Dickensian tour de force （and Dickens is mentioned a lot）。 Overall， the novel is a challenging satire--both a foppish comedy of religious superstition and political chicanery as well as a morbid allegory of human exploitation and civic corruption。A book about the body politic and the politics of human bodies。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Finer minds than mine have raved about the brilliance of this book， and Soyinka is a Nobel Prize winner and all， but … it took ages for me to read this book and even now I'm not sure that I've made sense of it。So here are some reviews from expert reviewers: t Ben Okri in The Guardian， who calls it a vast danse macabre。 （Yes， that Ben Okri， who won the Booker for The Famished Road which I really liked）。 t Helon Habila， also in The Guardian， who says it's Nigeria unmasked。 （Yes， that Helon Habi Finer minds than mine have raved about the brilliance of this book， and Soyinka is a Nobel Prize winner and all， but … it took ages for me to read this book and even now I'm not sure that I've made sense of it。So here are some reviews from expert reviewers: t Ben Okri in The Guardian， who calls it a vast danse macabre。 （Yes， that Ben Okri， who won the Booker for The Famished Road which I really liked）。 t Helon Habila， also in The Guardian， who says it's Nigeria unmasked。 （Yes， that Helon Habila， whose books I really admire too）。 You will have noticed that both Okri and Habila are Nigerian， which means they are 'closer to home' so to speak， about some of the satirical elements in the novel， elements which might pass some of us by。 But then there's this one by t Juan Gabriel Vásquez in the NYT: Vásquez is from Colombia so he also knows what it's like to live under poor governance。 He writes that the novel is a caustic political satire， a murder mystery， a conspiracy story and a deeply felt lament for the spirit of a nation。 He also identifies the problem that I had with keeping track of proceedings:The plot — convoluted， obscure at times， often tying itself in too many knots — turns on the aptly named Human Resources， a sinister online business that sells human body parts for private use in rituals and superstitions。 As often happens in satire， the outrageousness of the fictional premise comes from its proximity to the truth: The belief that human organs have magical properties， leading to business success and political power， has been known to lead to ritual murders in Nigeria。。。 But， he says， the real interest in the novel lies elsewhere: it interrogates the state of a nation where these kinds of things can happen。 That makes Chronicles more than just a satire， but for me， it got lost along the way。To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers。com/2021/11/24/c。。。 。。。more
Rado Baťo
，
Nigérijský nositeľ nobelovej ceny napísal román po 49 rokoch。 Jedna z kníh， kde buď výrazný autorský štýl prijmete a budete si ho užívať， alebo vás umorí。 Ja som si väčšinu užíval， aj keď bolo cítiť， že Soyinkov corebiznis sú divadelné hry， nie romány。 Dej sa odohráva v alternatívnej Nigérii， ktorá je skorumpovaná， demoralizovaná a chaotická （takže nie až taká alternatívna）。 Drsná satira sa točí okolo osudov štyroch priateľov zo študentských čias， ktorí sa zamotajú do obchodu s ľudskými telami。
Bruin Mccon
，
DNF at 7%。
Riet
，
Maar 4 sterren， omdat ik af en toe een beetje de weg kwijt raakte in het verhaal。 Maar dat kwam meestal wel weer goed。 Het is een venijnige politieke satire op de situatie in Nigeria。 Ik kan me voorstellen， dat het boek te ingewikkeld wordt， als je niets over Nigeria weet。 Het gaat niet alleen over politiek， maar ook over religie en macht。 Vier mannen hebben in hun studententijd trouw gezworen， een laat het afweten。 Maar voor je er achter bent hoe dat allemaal in elkaar zit， ben je een eind verd Maar 4 sterren， omdat ik af en toe een beetje de weg kwijt raakte in het verhaal。 Maar dat kwam meestal wel weer goed。 Het is een venijnige politieke satire op de situatie in Nigeria。 Ik kan me voorstellen， dat het boek te ingewikkeld wordt， als je niets over Nigeria weet。 Het gaat niet alleen over politiek， maar ook over religie en macht。 Vier mannen hebben in hun studententijd trouw gezworen， een laat het afweten。 Maar voor je er achter bent hoe dat allemaal in elkaar zit， ben je een eind verder。 Het is met veel humor geschreven。 Knap dat een man van Soyinka's leeftijd nog zo'n ingewikkeld verhaal in elkaar kan zetten。 。。。more
Tiah
，
~Aspiring nations needed to be rescued from their state of envious aspiration， a malaise that induced doomed efforts to snatch the crown from their heads。~~He marvelled-not for the first time-how Nature could have been so cynical as to unleash on humanity such disparate creations as donkey and peacock in any associative vocal register， surprised that no one appeared to have considered inventing a modulator。~~"The more you recall，" he sighed， "the deeper this darkness that envelops you。"~~America ~Aspiring nations needed to be rescued from their state of envious aspiration， a malaise that induced doomed efforts to snatch the crown from their heads。~~He marvelled-not for the first time-how Nature could have been so cynical as to unleash on humanity such disparate creations as donkey and peacock in any associative vocal register， surprised that no one appeared to have considered inventing a modulator。~~"The more you recall，" he sighed， "the deeper this darkness that envelops you。"~~America is a product of slave culture， prosperity as the reward for racist cruelty。~~It was difficult to believe， but The Family did not consider the wishes of the young window of any importance。 The Family， it became apparent， did not extend to his widow; neither did it， at that stage， include even the children。~~We have encountered nothing but obstruction， hostility， manipulations！ Every inch of the way， sabotage！ To what end？ In fidelity to what custom， what usage， what tradition？~ 。。。more
Janet
，
Did not finish。 Terrible， just terrible。
Claudia Sorsby
，
An interesting book that I’m glad I read， but I can’t say I completely enjoyed。It started slowly…very slowly。 There were a lot of detailed descriptions and long， winding sentences， but I kept thinking， “So when does the story get going？” A man waits for hours to see a famous spiritual leader， and we get pages and pages on how his wife made him get the appointment， how he got there， how he was greeted， how long he waited， who he talked to while he waited， what they talked about， and finally the m An interesting book that I’m glad I read， but I can’t say I completely enjoyed。It started slowly…very slowly。 There were a lot of detailed descriptions and long， winding sentences， but I kept thinking， “So when does the story get going？” A man waits for hours to see a famous spiritual leader， and we get pages and pages on how his wife made him get the appointment， how he got there， how he was greeted， how long he waited， who he talked to while he waited， what they talked about， and finally the meeting—which was short。But overall it was well written enough that I kept going， and then slowly it began to pick up， and things began to happen， and then suddenly， not quite halfway—boom！ It was moving along， and from then it was really quite good。 Suddenly all the long sentences were clearly taking me somewhere， working toward a larger whole; the satire came into focus and sharpened， and the last couple of hundred pages whizzed by。Annoyingly， though， there wasn’t much payoff for the earlier slog。 All that description of the big meeting？ Almost none of it mattered。 Equally annoying， there was a question of motivation at the end of the book—why are family members insisting on something odd？—that isn’t really answered either！Really， a lot of the beginning should have been trimmed， and some of the ending should have been beefed up， but who’s going to tell a Nobel Laureate that？ 。。。more
Ilana8
，
Economist recommended
Claire
，
This is a novel that requires rereading。 There are many characters， there are large spaces between their introduction and their significant actions， much of the narration is third person and appears rambling （though I think rereading will show pattern）。 The first chapters each introduce one main actor， then gradually chapters refer back and some relationships among stories appear。 Finally there are a couple direct action chapters--even so all are not yet accounted for。 But then comes the two we This is a novel that requires rereading。 There are many characters， there are large spaces between their introduction and their significant actions， much of the narration is third person and appears rambling （though I think rereading will show pattern）。 The first chapters each introduce one main actor， then gradually chapters refer back and some relationships among stories appear。 Finally there are a couple direct action chapters--even so all are not yet accounted for。 But then comes the two we began with。 The larger pattern seems to be context-action-context revised。 In spite of the title， it is not a feel-good novel 。。。more
Diane
，
I didn’t really finish it。 The writing was too dense， the paragraphs too packed， and the whole book too long at 444 pages。 Set in Nigeria， the story is said to be savagely satiric and gleefully irreverent but I just couldn’t get beyond Chapter 3。 Not for me。
K。J。 Charles
，
Very long， written in an extremely dense and elaborate style， huge cast， mass of plotlines。 I got lost and couldn't claw my way back。 It may be that I lack the background in Nigerian sociopolitics and mental fortitude needed to take in and fully understand this work， it may be that it's desperately in need of editing， it may be somewhere in between。 DNF at 30%。 Very long， written in an extremely dense and elaborate style， huge cast， mass of plotlines。 I got lost and couldn't claw my way back。 It may be that I lack the background in Nigerian sociopolitics and mental fortitude needed to take in and fully understand this work， it may be that it's desperately in need of editing， it may be somewhere in between。 DNF at 30%。 。。。more
Bagus
，
This novel is Wole Soyinka’s first novel for a long time since Season of Anatomy （1972）。 I’ll have to admit that I picked this book solely because the label says that Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 and the premise in the description sounds interesting to me。 Soyinka’s latest novel made me struggle a lot from the first chapter alone， what with the complexities of the story。 The setting is an imaginary Nigeria， but I could take the cue of the satirical message behind the charact This novel is Wole Soyinka’s first novel for a long time since Season of Anatomy （1972）。 I’ll have to admit that I picked this book solely because the label says that Soyinka won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 and the premise in the description sounds interesting to me。 Soyinka’s latest novel made me struggle a lot from the first chapter alone， what with the complexities of the story。 The setting is an imaginary Nigeria， but I could take the cue of the satirical message behind the characters and the plots which seem to be a critique towards the massive corruption and religious intolerance plaguing Nigeria， which is said as the largest economy in Africa for the time being。The writing style makes me confused， and at times I could not make a head or tail on the characters。 In the first chapter， I thought Davina would be the main problem in this story， only to be introduced to several characters again in the next few chapters with description that seems sporadic。 Sadly， I don’t have the necessary knowledge about Nigerian politics or socio-cultural contexts to understand the message underlined by Soyinka。 I think it probably has something to do with the medium that Soyinka often use to tell his story is through plays， which might be his best medium to date as the Nobel Prize Committee cited the reason of his award being: " who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence。" It’s as absurd as to think that Brecht attempted to write a novel （well yeah， even Brecht tried to adapt his Threepenny Opera into a novel form）， but again this is my first take of Soyinka， I have yet to read his first two novels which were published around 50 years ago。 。。。more
Priit Rohumaa
，
dnf @90%， total waste of time。
Diana Carter
，
I found this book hard to read。 The author really rips into government， corruption， and human depravity。 Although there are glimmers of satire， humour is hard to find amidst the dystopian society which Soyinka describes。The writing style is clever but long winded and obscure。 The narrative only picks up pace in the second half of the book。I felt at the end that I had learned a bit about Nigeria， but that perhaps I would rather not have learned it。 However I could not help but marvel at the coura I found this book hard to read。 The author really rips into government， corruption， and human depravity。 Although there are glimmers of satire， humour is hard to find amidst the dystopian society which Soyinka describes。The writing style is clever but long winded and obscure。 The narrative only picks up pace in the second half of the book。I felt at the end that I had learned a bit about Nigeria， but that perhaps I would rather not have learned it。 However I could not help but marvel at the courage shown by the author in confronting horrifying issues without offering himself or the reader much hope。 This book is an exposition of a troubled society， not a call for change。 。。。more
Mandy
，
I had to admit defeat with this one。 It’s been described as “A political satire and murder mystery， and a lament for the spirit of his （Soyinka’s） native Nigeria。” This much I managed to glean。 It’s Soyinka’s first novel in 48 years and only the third in his long and successful career， and essentially I don’t think it’s a very successful one。 The plot is convoluted， it’s very long， there are just so many characters， it’s all a bit wild – though I believe based on reality – and I found it just to I had to admit defeat with this one。 It’s been described as “A political satire and murder mystery， and a lament for the spirit of his （Soyinka’s） native Nigeria。” This much I managed to glean。 It’s Soyinka’s first novel in 48 years and only the third in his long and successful career， and essentially I don’t think it’s a very successful one。 The plot is convoluted， it’s very long， there are just so many characters， it’s all a bit wild – though I believe based on reality – and I found it just too sprawling and heavy-handed。 Corruption is the central theme， as is fundamentalism and the colonial legacy， but for me it just didn’t come together into a coherent whole。 It’s perhaps aimed more at an insider readership， those who would understand the in-jokes and references。 I personally couldn’t find the humour。 My failing， perhaps， but there you are。 Eventually I gave up trying。 Maybe one day I will try again。 But then again， maybe not…。 。。。more
Alex
，
First line: "Papa Divinia， also known as Teribogo， preferred to craft his own words of wisdom。" Last line: "'That's the spirit。' Goddie opened the door wider， beaming grandly: 'As your friends declaim it on Broadway--Show Time， Baby！'" First line: "Papa Divinia， also known as Teribogo， preferred to craft his own words of wisdom。" Last line: "'That's the spirit。' Goddie opened the door wider， beaming grandly: 'As your friends declaim it on Broadway--Show Time， Baby！'" 。。。more
Kathy Piselli
，
Along with Soyinka's sarcasm （"one of those ultra-modernistic designs that catered more to sensation than sense"， or the "hubs of complacency" in which Dr Menka sees his own face among others）， and the author's railing against violence in Africa （I hope he remembers that the U。S。 is where children are sometimes killed in their apartments from bullets ricocheting in the street）， lies the poet's care with words。 It is this artistry， not really the plot， that moved this story along and made me care Along with Soyinka's sarcasm （"one of those ultra-modernistic designs that catered more to sensation than sense"， or the "hubs of complacency" in which Dr Menka sees his own face among others）， and the author's railing against violence in Africa （I hope he remembers that the U。S。 is where children are sometimes killed in their apartments from bullets ricocheting in the street）， lies the poet's care with words。 It is this artistry， not really the plot， that moved this story along and made me care about his characters。 Several of them are pretty reprehensible （I could hardly bring myself to read about the preacher， for example） but the language carried me along like a river in spate。 The Gong of Four， a Pop-of-Ages， the maddening frustration of the credulous and ignorant， the depth of friendship。 。。。more
Yaniv
，