Wole Soyinka

Wole Soyinka

Soyinka in 2018
Soyinka in 2018
BornAkínwándé Olúwolé Babátúndé Sóyíinká[1]
(1934-07-13) 13 July 1934 (age 90)
Abeokuta, Southern Region, British Nigeria
Occupation
  • Author
  • poet
  • playwright
Alma mater
Period1957–present
Genre
  • Drama
  • novel
  • poetry
SubjectComparative literature
Notable awardsNobel Prize in Literature
1986
Benson Medal from Royal Society of Literature
1990
Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
2009
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, Lifetime Achievement
2012
Europe Theatre Prize - Special Prize
2017
Spouse
Barbara Dixon
(m. 1958, divorced)
Olaide Idowu
(m. 1963, divorced)
Folake Doherty
(m. 1989)
Children10, including Olaokun
RelativesRansome-Kuti family

Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde "Wole" Soyinka CFR (/ˈwl sɔɪˈ(j)ɪŋkə, - ʃɔɪˈ-/ WOH-lay s(h)oy-(Y)ING-kə; Yoruba: Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé "Wọlé" Ṣóyíinká, pronounced [wɔlé ʃójĩnká]; born 13 July 1934) is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "wide cultural perspective and... poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence",[2] the first sub-Saharan African to win the Prize in literature.[3][a]

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu renamed the National Arts Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, after Soyinka. Tinubu announced this in a tribute he wrote to celebrate Soyinka in commemoration of his 90th birthday.[4]

  1. ^ Wasson, Tyler; Gert H. Brieger (1 January 1987). Nobel Prize Winners: An H.W. Wilson Biographical Dictionary, Volume 1. The University of Michigan, US. p. 993. ISBN 9780824207564. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  2. ^ "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1986 | Wole Soyinka". NobelPrize.org. The Nobel Prize. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  3. ^ Ahmed, Abiy (9 December 2019). "Africa's Nobel Prize winners: A list". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Tinubu Immortalises Soyinka, Names National Theatre, Lagos After Him – THISDAYLIVE". www.thisdaylive.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.


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