Author | Ola Rotimi |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Tragedy |
Publisher | Oxford University Press Oxford, University Press plc (UPPLC) |
Publication date | 1971 |
Publication place | Nigeria |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 72 pp |
ISBN | 0-19-211358-5 |
Preceded by | Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again |
Followed by | Kurunmi |
The Gods Are Not To Blame is a 1968 play and a 1971 novel by Ola Rotimi.[1] An adaptation of the Greek classic Oedipus Rex, the story centres on Odewale, who is lured into a false sense of security, only to somehow get caught up in a somewhat consanguineous trail of events by the gods of the land.[2]
The novel is set in an indeterminate period of a Yoruba kingdom. This reworking of Oedipus Rex was part of the African Arts (Arts d'Afrique) playwriting contest in 1969. Rotimi's play has been celebrated on two counts: at first scintillating as theatre and later accruing a significant literary aura.[3] This article focuses specifically on the 1968 play.