Overview

Based on real historical events, Yor ba Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther's miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting 'Run, j yi, run!' The day the Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Òsog n, thirteen-year-old j yi's life was split in two. Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yor ba gods of forest and water, earth and sky. After- capture, slavery - and release, into the service of a new god, his own culture left far behind. So j yi becomes Samuel Crowther - missionary, linguist, minister - and abolitionist- driven to negotiate against his own people to end the miserable trade in human beings which destroyed his family. Drawing on the prolific writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Biyi Bandele has created a many-voiced, kaleidoscopic portrait of an extraordinary man. From the heart-stopping drama of j yi's last day of freedom to the farcical intrigue of the Òsog n court; from a meeting with Queen Victoria; to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, his journey, like all great odysseys, circles back to where he began. By turns witty, moving and quietly political, Biyi Bandele's reimagining of Crowther's life is a brilliant tour de force.

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9780241562697

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Biyi was a unique, all-responsive talent . . . The more he achieved, the further he aimed -- Wole Soyinka I always had huge respect for [Biyi's] prolific, super-talented and fearless creativity -- Bernardine Evaristo Passionately committed to every venture, Biyi displayed great urgency in all his productivity. He was a beguiling mix of daring and reticence, self-confidence and humility, with bravely ambitious dreams -- Margaret Busby * Guardian * [Biyi Bándélé's novels] are rewarding reading, capable of wild surrealism and wit, as well as political engagement, as is all his writing * Independent * Bandele, who is without doubt one of Africa's finest creative minds, built an extensive career across various creative spaces, achieving success in literature and film * Brittle Paper *

Biyi was a unique, all-responsive talent . . . The more he achieved, the further he aimed -- Wole Soyinka Biyi Bándélé had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yorùbá Boy Running is no exception As important and as riveting as it is generous, raising Ajayi Crowther to a place beside Equiano Olaudah, Fredrick Douglas and Phyllis Wheatley I always had huge respect for [Biyi's] prolific, super-talented and fearless creativity -- Bernardine Evaristo Passionately committed to every venture, Biyi displayed great urgency in all his productivity. He was a beguiling mix of daring and reticence, self-confidence and humility, with bravely ambitious dreams -- Margaret Busby * Guardian * [Biyi Bándélé's novels] are rewarding reading, capable of wild surrealism and wit, as well as political engagement, as is all his writing * Independent * Biyi Bandele was a titan, who did the heavy lifting and laid the foundations many British Nigerian writers & theatre makers walk on -- Inua Ellams Bandele, who is without doubt one of Africa's finest creative minds, built an extensive career across various creative spaces, achieving success in literature and film * Brittle Paper *

Biyi was a unique, all-responsive talent . . . The more he achieved, the further he aimed -- Wole Soyinka I always had huge respect for [Biyi's] prolific, super-talented and fearless creativity -- Bernardine Evaristo Passionately committed to every venture, Biyi displayed great urgency in all his productivity. He was a beguiling mix of daring and reticence, self-confidence and humility, with bravely ambitious dreams -- Margaret Busby * Guardian * [Biyi Bándélé's novels] are rewarding reading, capable of wild surrealism and wit, as well as political engagement, as is all his writing * Independent * Biyi Bandele was a titan, who did the heavy lifting and laid the foundations many British Nigerian writers & theatre makers walk on -- Inua Ellams Bandele, who is without doubt one of Africa's finest creative minds, built an extensive career across various creative spaces, achieving success in literature and film * Brittle Paper * Biyi Bándélé had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yorùbá Boy Running is no exception

Biyi was a unique, all-responsive talent . . . The more he achieved, the further he aimed -- Wole Soyinka I always had huge respect for [Biyi's] prolific, super-talented and fearless creativity -- Bernardine Evaristo [Biyi Bandele's novels] are rewarding reading, capable of wild surrealism and wit, as well as political engagement, as is all his writing * Independent * Biyi Bandele was a titan, who did the heavy lifting and laid the foundations many British Nigerian writers & theatre makers walk on -- Inua Ellams Bandele, who is without doubt one of Africa's finest creative minds, built an extensive career across various creative spaces, achieving success in literature and film * Brittle Paper *

Author Information

Biyi Bandele was a novelist, playwright and filmmaker. He was the author of the novels, The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond, The Street, The Sympathetic Undertaker, Burma Boy and Yoruba Boy Running. His directorial debut was with Half of a Yellow Sun, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Biyi Bandele passed away in 2022.

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