Omoseye Bolaji is often referred to as a
"prolific writer", along the lines of Africa's pantheon of such
writers, like David Maillu, Naiwu Osahon, or Asare Konadu. But this might
even be deemed something of a pejorative rather than a compliment.
African writers like
Ngugi and Soyinka have probably published more books anyway, and they are
hardly described as prolific - mainly because over the years they have rightly
been accepted as part of the very best writers in the entire world, not just
African writers.
Those familiar with his
published works realise that Omoseye Bolaji is more than just a "prolific
African writer", or just a "writer of fiction". I think his
contributions to literature can be largely divided into three segments.
1. Bolaji's
fiction, mainly his creation of the Tebogo Mystery series of books. About
ten volumes in the series have been published thus far. In the Tebogo books,
the author explores his pet themes like well-constructed plots with twists and
turns; the vagaries of life and characters; and often tentative discourses on
literature, general literature itself. The books over the years are:
Tebogo Investigates (2000)
Tebogo's spot of bother (2001)
Tebogo Fails (2003)
Ask Tebogo (2004)
Tebogo and the Haka (2008)
Tebogo and the Epithalamion (2009)
Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010)
Tebogo and the Bacchae (2012)
Tebogo and Uriah Heep (2018)
2. Contributions/essays
on literature itself, in the form of literary criticism, book reviews, profiles
of writers, etc. Bolaji has published at least five books of this ilk; namely:
Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002)
Cognoscenti (2016)
Sorry you've been troubled (2017)
Further Glimpses into African Literature (with I. M. Soqaga) 2018
Calamity Angst (2020) - his very latest book, just published
3. General books written
by Bolaji which are a combination of journalism, biography, vignettes,
reflections - rather reminiscent of Gerald Durrell's works. They include the
following:
My Opinion (2005)
Miscellaneous Writings (2011)
It couldn't matter less (2013)
Far up far out far more (2014)
All this, despite his many other contributions to poetry, drama, sports, short fiction etc. It is clear that Omoseye Bolaji is more than just a "prolific African author".
Suggested Studies (Books) on Bolaji's Work:
Tebogo on the Prowl. By Petro Schonfeld (2006)
OMOSEYE
BOLAJI. Edited by Hector
Kunene (2010)
BOLAJI IN HIS POMP. By Pule Lechesa (2013)
Always a fascinating, committed, versatile writer, Mr bolaji
ReplyDeleteInteresting!
ReplyDeleteI think Bolaji has contributed a lot to African literature in particular, but the brief analysis here is too simplistic. I am not so sure that one can easily separate his "general" writings from the ones that focus on literature. Even in the general books, there's always lots of pieces on authors, books, reviews and the like. I have "general " books of his like Miscellaneous Writings, and Sorry you've been troubled in mind, where there are many writings on the likes of Shakespeare, Gabriel Okara, Wole Soyinka, Lewis Nkosi, Marechera, and many other celebrated writers. And there can be no doubt that Bolaji is a prolific writer anyway.
ReplyDeleteI find it strange that Mr Bolaji's major works of fiction are not even mentioned here, especially his remarkable novel, IMPOSSIBLE LOVE.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read Bolaji’s novel, The Ghostly Adversary, I thought it was magnificent. His, People of the Townships (also a novel) is also very important. But one can understand why many would praise or single out his Tebogo Mystery series
ReplyDeleteIt has been a pleasure reading many, perhaps most, of Mr Bolaji's books over the years. Certainly not all of them - so no doubt, he has been prolific!
ReplyDeleteIt is rather difficult to put firm categories on many of Bolaji's books, as there are so many of them, and some might even escape under the radar for the experts. A good example is his work titled, Kunle Apantaku ( a favourite of mine). It is a book written to highlight the life and times of an early friend of his; but it is also a book which celebrates literature, literary criticism, authors, and books. There are even brief profiles of certain authors in the book, like Dillibe Onyeama as I recall. So the book, Kunle Apantaku, should ideally be placed beside other Bolaji works of this genre, like Cognoscenti, and, Sorry you've been troubled.
ReplyDeleteMr Bolaji deserves all the praise that continues to come his way, re African writing, and more. His work is accessible yet with world class undertones, and his versatility includes very solid contributions to the literary genre as we have seen here.
ReplyDeleteApart from his books that focus primarily on literature, anybody who reads Bolaji's works will easily see his passion for the world of books, of imagination. This can be seen in virtually everything he writes, even the poetry (his book of poetry, REVERIE clearly shows this). Bolaji reminds me of another African writer, Mokhele, that when you read him, his short stories, you can see many references to other writers and books
ReplyDeleteWow! The author has surely been prolific. I read his wonderful novel, Impossible Love...and also his play around the young ladies. But he has written so many books - unbelievable
ReplyDeleteIndeed Prof Bolaji is more than a prolific African Writer. His work has been recognized and used by different literary agencies, universities and libraries across the globe.
ReplyDelete