Amos Tutuola facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amos Olatubosun Tutuola
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| Born |
Amos Olatubosun Tutuola Odegbami
20 June 1920 Abeokuta, Nigeria
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| Died | 8 June 1997 (aged 76) Ibadan, Nigeria
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| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Known for | Author |
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Notable work
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The Palm-Wine Drinkard My Life in the Bush of Ghosts |
| Spouse(s) | Victoria Alake |
| Children | 8 |
Amos Tutuola (born June 20, 1920 – died June 8, 1997) was a famous Nigerian writer. He wrote exciting stories that were often based on traditional Yoruba folk tales. His books introduced many readers around the world to the rich stories and myths of Nigeria.
Early Life and Education
Amos Olatubosun Tutuola Odegbami was born on June 20, 1920. His birthplace was Wasinmi, a small farming village near Abeokuta, Nigeria. His parents, Charles and Esther Odegbami, were Yoruba Christians. They were farmers who grew cocoa.
Amos was the youngest son of his father. His grandfather, Chief Odegbami, was an important leader of the Egba people. He held the title "Odafin," which meant he helped make and keep laws in his community.
When Amos was seven, he started working for an Igbo man named F. O. Monu. As payment, Monu sent him to the Salvation Army primary school. Later, at age 12, Amos went to the Anglican Central School in Abeokuta. His formal schooling was short, lasting only six years, from 1934 to 1939.
After his grandfather passed away in 1936, many family members took "Odegbami" as their last name. But Amos and some others chose "Tutuola," their father's name. When his father died in 1939, Amos left school. He then trained to become a blacksmith. From 1942 to 1945, he worked as a blacksmith for the Royal Air Force in Nigeria during World War II. After the war, he tried different jobs, like selling bread and working as a messenger.
In 1946, Tutuola wrote his first full-length book, The Palm-Wine Drinkard. He finished it in just two days! In 1947, he married Victoria Alake. They had eight children together, four sons and four daughters. Amos Tutuola was also the uncle of famous Nigerian footballers Segun Odegbami and Wole Odegbami.
His Writing Career
Even though he had little formal education, Tutuola wrote all his novels in English. In 1956, after his first three books made him famous worldwide, he joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in Ibadan. He worked there as a storekeeper.
Tutuola also helped start the Mbari Club. This was an important group for writers and publishers. In 1979, he was a visiting researcher at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). In 1983, he was part of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in the United States. When he retired, he lived in both Ibadan and Ago-Odo.
Amos Tutuola passed away on June 8, 1997, at 76 years old. He died from hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes.
Many of his original writings, letters, and notes are kept at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. This helps people study his work.
Tutuola's books have been translated into 11 different languages. These include French, German, Russian, and Polish. Some translators, like Raymond Queneau, even kept his unique writing style in their translations.
The Palm-Wine Drinkard
Tutuola's most well-known novel is The Palm-Wine Drinkard and his Dead Palm-Wine Tapster in the Deads' Town. He wrote it in 1946, and it was first published in London in 1952. The famous poet Dylan Thomas helped make the book widely known. He called it "brief, thronged, grisly and bewitching."
While the book was praised in England and the United States, it received some criticism in Nigeria. Some people thought his use of "broken English" or a "primitive" style was not good. However, this criticism has mostly faded over time.
After The Palm-Wine Drinkard, Tutuola wrote My Life in the Bush of Ghosts in 1954. He continued to write several other books exploring Yoruba traditions and folklore. But none of his later works became as famous as The Palm-Wine Drinkard. His 1958 book, The Brave African Huntress, had illustrations by the artist Ben Enwonwu.
Tributes
Amos Tutuola's work has inspired many people.
- In 1981, musicians Brian Eno and David Byrne named their album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts after Tutuola's second novel.
- In 2015, the Society of Young Nigerian Writers started the Amos Tutuola Literary Society. This group works to promote and encourage reading Tutuola's books.
- In 2021, the poet Will Alexander wrote a long poem called 'Based on the Bush of Ghosts' to honor Tutuola. This poem was part of a collection that was a finalist for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
See also
In Spanish: Amos Tutuola para niños
