Odafe Atogun Explained

Odafe Atogun
Birth Place:Lokoja, Nigeria
Nationality:Nigerian
Occupation:Writer

Odafe Atogun is a Nigerian writer. His debut novel, Taduno's Song (2016), was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club,[1] and he has been compared to Franz Kafka and George Orwell in critical reviews.[2] [3] Following his two-book deal with Canongate, Penguin Random House and Arche Verlag, Atogun's second novel, Wake Me When I’m Gone, was published in 2017.[4] His work has been translated into several languages.

Life

Odafe Atogun was born in Nigeria, in the town of Lokoja.[5] [6] Living in difficult circumstances as a child, Atogun found escape through the power of his imagination, ultimately following the path to full-time writing. He says he writes at night "when the world is asleep."[7]

His writings have been favourably compared to that of Franz Kafka,[8] George Orwell[9] [10] and even Amos Tutuola[11]

Atogun professes a desire to write timeless stories which transport the reader.[12] Since the publication of his first book, he has taken keen interest in the work of Kafka. He is also influenced by the works of Milan Kundera, JM Coetzee, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, and Chinua Achebe amongst others.[13]

He lives in Abuja. He has a son from a previous relationship, to whom he dedicated his first book.

Taduno's Song

Atogun's first book,Taduno's Song was published by Canongate. It is a "Kafkaesque tale"[6] that "imagines such a post-colonial dystopia".[14] It tells the story of the eponymous Taduno whom the author says he modelled around the late Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti.[15]

Of the book, this has been said: "One would be hard pressed to find a tale as beautifully written and thoroughly engaging."[16] It is " a fine, allusive challenge to the dictators who infest Africa—and the world,"[17] a book that "is a rich, multilayered work, exploring lessons of freedom, self-worth, forgiveness and faithfulness."[18] Indirect Libre calls it "a wholly engrossing, impressive debut by a writer who has taken the force of multiple influences and wielded them with an uncommon grace and lightness."[11]

The book was listed as one of the Guardian UK's "Hidden gems of 2016: the best books you may have missed"[19]

The Nigerian edition was published by Ouida Books.

Wake Me When I'm Gone

Atogun's second book was published by Canongate in 2017.[20] It has been described as "timeless",[21] "magical"[22] and "a powerful story of one woman's fight for change and independence, despite the obstacles",[23] combining "folkloric elements with a strong central character to create a haunting and unusual narrative."[4] It "proves a deeply satisfying and delightful, read."[24] It is "a quiet power and message of faith and hope that will stay with you long after you turn over the last page."[25]

Emily Roberts of Student Newspaper says the author "successfully portrays the corruption within this town which, though fictional, echoes recognisable themes in the contemporary world, as oppressive laws by patriarchal figures disregard women's rights in many cultures" offering "a critique of conservative, backwards societies and demonstrates the power of individuals to defy outdated tradition.[26]

It was published in Nigeria by Ouida Books in 2018.[27]

Notable reviews and interviews

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Radio 2 Book Club – Taduno's Song by Odafe Atogun – BBC Radio 2. BBC. 6 December 2017.
  2. News: Odafe Atogun – Taduno's Song – Book Review. BookPage.com. 6 December 2017.
  3. News: Fiction Book Review: Taduno’s Song by Odafe Atogun. Pantheon, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-101-87145-4. Publishers Weekly. 6 December 2017.
  4. News: Wake Me When I’m Gone by Odafe Atogun review – magical thinking in Nigeria. Habila. Helon. 14 October 2017. The Guardian. 6 December 2017. 0261-3077.
  5. Web site: The Radio 2 Book Club – Taduno's Song by Odafe Atogun – BBC Radio 2. BBC.
  6. Web site: Odafe Atogun. edbookfest.co.uk. 4 December 2017.
  7. News: Odafe Atogun: ‘I write at night when the world is asleep’. Atogun. Odafe. 19 August 2017. The Guardian. 4 December 2017. 0261-3077.
  8. News: Fiction Book Review: Taduno’s Song by Odafe Atogun. Pantheon, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-101-87145-4. Publishers Weekly. 5 December 2017.
  9. News: Soft Notes and Love Notes A Review of Odafe Atógun's Taduno’s Song By Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún. 11 June 2017. Brittle Paper. 4 December 2017.
  10. News: "Taduno's Song" by Odafe Atogun. Kohlhaase. Bill. The Santa Fe New Mexican. 4 December 2017.
  11. News: Review: Taduno’s Song by Odafe Atogun. 12 August 2016. Indirect Libre. 4 December 2017.
  12. Web site: An Interview with Odafe Atogun – Washington Independent Review of Books. washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com.
  13. Web site: 10 Essential African Novels.
  14. News: Odafe Atogun – Taduno's Song – Book Review. BookPage.com. 4 December 2017.
  15. News: Fela Kuti and the Power of Music as a Tool for Resistance. 7 March 2017. Signature Reads. 4 December 2017.
  16. News: Taduno's Song. 1 March 2017. The Student. 4 December 2017.
  17. Book: TADUNO'S SONG by Odafe Atogun Kirkus Reviews.
  18. News: Review: 'Taduno's Song' The Gazette. The Gazette. 4 December 2017.
  19. News: Hidden gems of 2016: great reads you may have missed. Beckerman. Hannah. 18 December 2016. The Observer. 4 December 2017. Clark. Alex. 0029-7712. Cooke. Rachel. Groskop. Viv. Kellaway. Kate. McCrum. Robert. Merritt. Stephanie. O'Keeffe. Alice. Preston. Alex.
  20. Book: Wake Me When I'm Gone. 8 March 2017. 9781782118428.
  21. News: Book Review: Wake Me When I’m Gone by Odafe Atogun. 20 July 2017. What Cathy Read Next.... 6 December 2017.
  22. News: Magical thinking in Nigeria-a review of Wake Me When I’m Gone by Odafe Atogun. Habila. Helon. 16 November 2017. Daily Trust.
  23. News: Wake Me When I’m Gone by Odafe Atogun. 17 July 2017. of Books. 6 December 2017.
  24. News: Odafe Atogun's Wake Me When I’m Gone ‘delightful’. Henley. Tara. 10 November 2017. Toronto Star. 6 December 2017. 0319-0781.
  25. Web site: You are being redirected.... blog.whsmith.co.uk. 13 February 2018.
  26. News: Wake Me When I’m Gone. Roberts. Emily. 13 November 2017. The Student Newspaper.
  27. News: Wake Me When I'm Gone. Ouida books. 7 December 2017.
  28. Web site: How Fela Kuti inspired Odafe Atogun's debut novel Taduno's Song, Focus on Africa – BBC World Service. BBC. 4 December 2017.
  29. Web site: Taduno's Song and other paperback reviews. The Herald. Glasgow. 4 December 2017.
  30. News: Wake Me When I’m Gone by Odafe Atogun review – magical thinking in Nigeria. Habila. Helon. 14 October 2017. The Guardian. 4 December 2017. 0261-3077.
  31. News: Q & A with Odafe Atogun, Author of Taduno's Song By Kelechi Njoku. 4 September 2017. Brittle Paper. 4 December 2017.
  32. Web site: An Interview with Odafe Atogun Washington Independent Review of Books. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com. 4 December 2017.

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