Daniel O. Fagunwa
Chief Daniel Olorunfẹmi Fágúnwà M.B.E. | |
---|---|
Oke-Igbo, Nigeria | |
Occupation | teacher, author |
Language | Yorùbá |
Period | 1930–1963 |
Notable works | in 1949 |
Spouse | Chief Elizabeth Adebanke Fágúnwà (1932–2018) |
Early life
Daniel Oròwọlé Fágúnwà was born in
Fágúnwà's parents were originally adherents of the traditional Yorùbá religion until they converted to Christianity in the late 1910s to early 1920s. Upon conversion, he changed his name to Ọlọ́runfẹ́mi (God loves me).[4]
He attended St. Luke's School,
From 1926 to 1929, he attended St. Andrew's College, Ọ̀yọ́ in order to train as a teacher.[5] He met his wife in Mọdákẹ́kẹ́ in 1931 while on vacation from St.Andrew's. The courted for six years and married in 1937.[5]
Family history
Fágúnwà's paternal great-grandfather was Faniyi Arojo, a warrior. His son, Fagunwa's paternal grandfather was Egunsola Asungaga Bèyíokú, an Ifa priest from the town of Origbo near
Career
Teaching career
From 1930 to 1939 Fágúnwà served as head teacher of the nursery section at St.Andrew's Practicing School, Ọ̀yọ́. In 1940, he was transferred to St.Patrick's School, Ọ̀wọ́, where he taught until 1942. In 1943, he moved to the CMS Grammar School, Lagos and in 1944, moved again to the Girls' School in Benin. Between 1945 and 1946, he taught at Igbobi College, which was temporarily located at Ibadan due to the Second World War, but which relocated back to Lagos in 1946.[6]
Between 1946 and 1948, Fágúnwà was based in Britain on a British Council scholarship. On his return, he taught at the Government Teacher Training Centre in Ibadan for two years. In 1950, Fágúnwà returned to Britain, hoping to pursue a degree, but he returned to Nigeria in 1955 to take up a position of Education Officer with the Publications Branch of the Ministry of Education in Western Nigeria. He held this position until 1959.[6]
Literary career
In 1938, entering a literary contest of the Nigerian education ministry, Fagunwa wrote his
Fagunwa's novels draw heavily on
D. O. Fagunwa was the first Nigerian writer to employ folk philosophy in telling his stories.
Fagunwa was awarded the
Death
On 7 December 1963, Fágúnwà was in Bida on his way home to Ibadan after a business trip to Northern Nigeria on behalf of Heinemann Books, where he was employed at the time. He arrived early at the River Wuya with his driver and they entered the queue for the pontoon, which would ferry people and cars across the river. While he was waiting for the pontoon service to open, he went for a walk along the riverside and slipped when a bit of earth broke under his foot. When he fell, a nearby canoe turned over onto him and pinned him under the water, drowning him.[9]
His body was recovered two days after the accident and was brought to
Legacy
Chief Fagunwa was created an
Fagunwa Memorial High School and Fagunwa Grammar School in
Works
Novels
- Ògbójú Ọdẹ nínú Igbó Irúnmọlẹ̀ (CMS Bookshop Lagos, 1938)
- Igbó Olódùmarè(Edinburgh: Nelson, 1949)
- Ìrèké Oníbùdó (Edinburgh: Nelson, 1949)
- Ìrìnkèrindó nínú Igbó Elégbèje (Edinburgh:Nelson, 1954)
- Àdììtú Olódùmarè (Edinburgh: Nelson, 1961)
Other publications
- Ìrìnàjò, Apa Kiní & Apa Kejí (London: Oxford University Press, 1949) | Fágúnwà's account of his travels in Britain
- Táiwò ati Kẹ́hìndé, co-authored with L.J Lewis (London: Oxford University Press, 1949) | Primary School Readers
- Àlàyé fún olùkọ́ nípa lílò Ìwé "Táiwò ati Kẹ́hìndé", co-authored with L.J Lewis (London: Oxford University Press, 1949) | Teachers' Manual
- Ìtàn Olóyin (London: Oxford University Press, 1954) | An edited collection of folktales.
- Òjó Aṣọ̀tán, co-authored with G.L. Lasebikan, published posthumously (London: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd., 1964) | Short story
Articles
- "Writing a Novel", Teachers' Monthly, vol.6, no.9, October 1960, p. 12
- "Going Overseas", Teachers' Monthly, vol.7, no.4, April 1961, p. 14
Translations of Fágúnwà's Work
- The Forest of a Thousand Daemons by Wole Soyinka (London: Nelson, 1968) | English
- La Foresta Dei Mille Demoni by Mario Biondi (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1985) | Italian
- La Forêt aux Mille Démons by Louis Camara (NENA, 2015) | French
- 400 İlah Ormanı by Bir Avcının Öyküsü (Altıkırkbeş Yayınları, 2016) | Turkish
- The Forest of God by Gabriel A. Àjàdí (Ibadan: Agbo Areo Publishers, 1994 {1984}) | English
- In the Forest of Olodumare by Wole Soyinka (London: Nelson, Ibadan: Evans Brothers Ltd., 2010) | English
Ìrèké Oníbùdó
- Ìrèké Oníbùdó by Alóńgẹ̀ Isaac Olúṣọlá (Ibadan, Nelson Publishers Ltd., 2019) | English
Ìrìnkèrindó nínú Igbó Elégbèje
- Expedition to the Mountain of Thought: The Third Saga by Dapo Adeniyi (Ile-Ife, Nigeria: Obafemi Awolowo University Press Ltd., 1994), LCCN 94-225991| English
Àdììtú Olódùmarè
- The Mysteries of God by Olu Obafemi (Ibadan: Nelson Publishers Ltd., 2012) | English
Selected academic works on Fágúnwà
- Adéẹ̀kọ́, Adélékè and Adéṣọ̀kàn, Akin (eds.), Celebrating D.O. Fágúnwà: Aspects of African & World Literary History, Bookcraft Africa, 2017, ISBN 978-978-8457-39-8
- Adébọ̀wálé, O., Adélékè, D. and Adéjùmọ̀, A. (eds.), Ọ̀tun Ìmò Nínú Ìtàn-Àròsọ D.O. Fágúnwà. (English translation: New Findings in the Novels of D.O. Fagunwa). Lagos: Capstones Publishers, 2016.
- Adéjùmọ̀, Àrìnpé. "Conceptualizing the Reality of the Millennium Development Goals in Fagunwa's Tradition Novels", Ihafa: A Journal of African Studies 5, 3 (2008): 76–95.
- Olaleru, Olanike. "Oral Performance Techniques in the Works of D. O. Fágúnwà." Ibadan Journal of English Studies 7 (2018): 361–374.
References
- ^ "Fagunwa wrote his first novel in the bush". Vanguard News. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "The Novel of D.O Fagunwa – A commentary by Ayo Bamgbose". sunshinenigeria.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-978-8197-26-3.
- ^ "D.O. Fagunwa | Nigerian author". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-978-8197-26-3.
- ^ ISBN 978-978-8197-26-3.
- ^ "Fagunwa wrote his first novel in the bush". Vanguard News. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "D. O. Fagunwa". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-978-8457-39-8.
- ISBN 0-253-34167-1.
- ISBN 0-415-23019-5.
External links
- D. O. Fagunwa at Library of Congress, with 15 library catalogue records