“Being the first black Nobel laureate, and the first African, the African world considered me personal property. I lost the remaining shreds of my anonymity, even to walk a few yards in London, Paris or Frankfurt without being stopped.”

Nigerian writer, playwright, and poet

Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, playwright, and poet. He is known for a body of work that spans fiction, drama, poetry, memoir, and journalism, and for receiving the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature. His writing includes three novels, ten collections of short stories, seven poetry collections, twenty-five plays, and five memoirs, along with two translated works and many articles and short stories for newspapers and periodicals. The Nobel Prize recognized his wide cultural perspective and the poetic qualities he brings to the drama of existence.