Yorùbá Boy Running

By: Biyi Bandele

Narrated by: Chiwetel Ejiofor

Brought to you by Penguin.

Yorùbá Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther's miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting

'Run, Àjàyí, run!'

The day the Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Òsogùn, thirteen-year-old Àjàyí's life was split in two.

Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yorùbá 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 Àjàyí 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 Bándélé has created a many-voiced, kaleidoscopic portrait of an extraordinary man. From the heart-stopping drama of Àjàyí's last day of freedom to the farcical intrigue of the Òsogùn 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 Bándélé's reimagining of Crowther's life is a brilliant tour de force.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION FROM WOLE SOYINKA

'A true artist. A brilliant writer. An original thinker' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

‘Biyi Bándélé had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yorùbá Boy Running is no exception’ Chiwitel Ejiofor

Cover artwork Chris Ofili, Blind Leading Blind, 2005 © The artist.

©2023 Biyi Bandele (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Biyi was a unique, all-responsive talent . . . The more he achieved, the further he aimed (Wole Soyinka)

Bándélé excels both himself in this richly crafted novel, brimming with mirth, fervour and his sheer joy of language . . . This is the novel as homage, truth-telling, illumination. I’m in awe, inspired. We have been gifted an almighty legacy (Courttia Newland)

Biyi Bándélé's remains a master storyteller to the end. A magnificent novel; rich, humorous, lyrical, breathtaking. What a joy (Chikodili Emelumadu)

In Yorùbá Boy Running, Bándélé writes with a nimble, rigorous prose. He has left us a matchless parting gift in this magnificent, unforgettable novel. And we, his readers, are grateful (Chika Unigwe)

One of Africa's important stories vividly brought to life in the hands of a master weaver of tales and true creative genius (Sarah Brown)

A masterful piece of writing that will prove Biyi as one of Africa's greatest writers. Lyrical, tragic and witty in turns. Chronicling one of humanities most shameful periods with unflinching honesty and deft storytelling (Clint Dyer)

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)

Biyi Bándélé was a titan, who did the heavy lifting and laid the foundations many British Nigerian writers & theatre makers walk on (Inua Ellams)