Reading the Great Nigerian Literary Debate

For several years now, a new generation of Nigerian writers and literary scholars have been debating the meaning of Nigerian literature. Last year, we finally came close to a breakthrough. 

For the past five years, there have been many conversations around new Nigerian literature, which culminated in what is best described as ‘the great debates’ in 2023. From Carl Terver’s ‘Nigerian Essays of the Year (2019)’, Paul Liam’s ‘On Reading “Gathering of Spirits & Other Poems”’, Obakanse S. Lakanse’s ‘New Shifts in Nigerian Poetry’, Káyọ̀dé Fáníyì’s ‘A Fuller Portrait’, to ‘Why Poets Are Rascals’ by Liam, these essays were like stones thrown into vast oblivion; they went largely unacknowledged by the literary landscape of their time. The import of the conversations these essays were trying to have would not be known nor regarded as such until Oris Aigbokhaevbolo turned up with his controversial essay, ‘The Death of Nigerian Literature’, in February 2023. For all its bold pronouncements and pronounced shortcomings, its most important accomplishment is that it brought almost everyone who had anything to say about the current state of Nigerian literature to say their mind, either in support of his views or against them. Since the publication of that essay, Nigerian literature, as far as intellectual engagement in our literary circles across and beyond Nigeria is concerned, has been undergoing a sort of hopefully permanent remodelling...

This essay features in our print issue, ‘Nigeria Imaginary’ and is only available online to paying subscribers. To continue reading register for a free trial and get unlimited access to The Republic for a week!Already a subscriber? Log in.