Wole Soyinka, a nobel prize laureate and nigerian exile, has been described by the new york times as “one of the most compelling literary voices in black Africa.” This collection brings together Idanre and other poems and a shuttle in the crypt, two powerful and distinctive volumes of Soyinka’s early poetry.
The first set of poems, Idanre and other poems, traces the author’s increasingly radical political awareness and the growth of his appreciation for africa’s indigenous cultural traditions. The second set of poems, A Shuttle in the Crypt, was written by Soyinka after his arrest in 1967 by the nigerian government for writings sympathetic to secessionist Biafra and placement in solitary confinement for twenty two months.