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Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka (2005, Trade Paperback)

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"This play, by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, asks: 'On the authority of what gods' the white aliens rupture the world. It puts exciting political theatre back on the agenda.a masterpiece of 20th century drama" (Guardian) Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, has a single destiny.

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherBloomsbury Publishing

ISBN-100413333604

ISBN-139780413333605

eBay Product ID (ePID)102820603

Product Key Features

Book TitleDeath and the King's Horseman

Number of Pages96 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2005

TopicLiterary, African

GenreDrama, Fiction

AuthorWole Soyinka

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height0.2 in

Item Weight4.2 Oz

Item Length7.8 in

Item Width5.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2003-427861

Reviews'Based on events in 1940s Nigeria, the story attains a more classically tragic power in showing two forces unable to understand each other. On one side there is the Yoruba culture, in which the death of a king is followed by the suicide of his favoured liegeman…on the other, the powers that be with their contrary code that suicide is illegal and to be prevented, even if it costs more lives.', 'This rich turbulent piece, which starts as folk comedy and ends as Greek tragedy, takes on board an abundance of ideas: identity, tradition, the passage from life to death… Soyinka's play is as much philosophical as political.', 'Wole Soyinka's play is one of the great creations of twentieth-century theatre: it has the fire, grandeur, cruelty and humanity of Greek tragedy, the moral cutting edge of modern political thinking, and the African writer's take on his own people's values: loving mocking, ironical and ruthlessly observant… Soyinka writes with the moral ambivalence and relentless questioning of Shakespeare'

Dewey Edition21

Dewey Decimal822/.914

SynopsisBased on the real events that took place in the ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria in 1946, this play tells how Simon Pilkings, a district officer, intervenes to prevent the ritual suicide demanded by the death of the King. There follow drastic repercussions in both indigenous and colonial communities., ''This play, by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature, asks: 'On the authority of what gods' the white aliens rupture the world. It puts exciting political theatre back on the agenda. . . a masterpiece of 20th century drama' (Guardian)....Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King's favourite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British Colonial Officer, Pilkings, intervenes to prevent the death and arrests Elesin. 'A transfixing work of modern world drama' (Independent); 'clearly a masterpiece. . . he achieves the full impact of Greek tragedy' (Irving Wardle, Independent on Sunday); 'the action of the play is as inevitable and eloquent as in Antigone: a clash of values and cultures so fundamental that tragedy issues: a tragedy for each individual, each tribe' (Michael Schmidt, Daily Telegraph)'', Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King's favorite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British colonial officer, Pilkings, intervenes. "This play, by the winner of a?Nobel Prize for Literature, asks: "On the authority of what gods" the white aliens rupture a world. It puts exciting political theatre back on the agenda ... a masterpiece of 20th century drama."-Guardian "The action of the play is as inevitable and eloquent as in Antigone a clash of values and cultures so fundamental that tragedy (ensues): a tragedy for each individual, each tribe."-Daily Telegraph "A transfixing work of modern world drama."-Independent, Elesin Oba, the King's Horseman, has a single destiny. When the King dies, he must commit ritual suicide and lead his King's favourite horse and dog through the passage to the world of the ancestors. A British Colonial Officer, Pilkings, intervenes to prevent the death and arrests Elesin. The play is a set text for NEAB GCSE, NEAB A Level and NEAB A/S Level. 'A masterpiece of 20th century drama' - Guardian "A transfixing work of modern world drama" (Independent); "clearly a masterpiece. . . he achieves the full impact of Greek tragedy" (Irving Wardle, Independent on Sunday); "the action of the play is as inevitable and eloquent as in Antigone: a clash of values and cultures so fundamental that tragedy issues: a tragedy for each individual, each tribe" (Michael Schmidt, Daily Telegraph)