Д. О. Фагунва: Пионер йорубского романа

Nigerian author

Chief Daniel Olorunfẹmi Fágúnwà MBE (1903 – 7 December 1963), popularly known as D. O. Fágúnwà, was a Nigerian author of Yorùbá heritage who pioneered the Yorùbá language novel.

Daniel Oròwọlé Fágúnwà was born in Òkè Igbó, Ondo State in 1903, to Joshua Akíntúndé Fágúnwà and Rachel Òṣunyọmí Fágúnwà. He had three sisters, Mary Adéyẹmí, Ojúọlápé and Ọmọ́túndé. Prior to his family's conversion to Christianity, his name was Oròwọlé Jàáníìni. The name Oròwọlé, refers to the Yorùbá bullroarer deity, Orò. 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). He attended St. Luke's School, Òkè Igbó from 1916 to 1924. After completing his primary education there, he taught as a student teacher in the same school in 1925. He met his wife in Mọdákẹ́kẹ́ in 1931 while on vacation from St. Andrew's. The courted for six years and married in 1937.

In 1938, entering a literary contest of the Nigerian education ministry, Fagunwa wrote his Ògbójú Ọdẹ nínú Igbó Irúnmọlẹ̀, widely considered the first novel written in the Yorùbá language and one of the first to be written in any African language. Wole Soyinka translated the book into English in 1968 as The Forest of A Thousand Demons, first published by Thomas Nelson, then Random House in 1982 and again by City Lights in September 2013 Fagunwa's later works include Igbó Olódùmarè (The Forest of God, 1949), Ìrèké Oníbùdó (1949), Ìrìnkèrindó nínú Igbó Elégbèje (Expedition to the Mount of Thought, 1954), and Àdììtú Olódùmarè (1961). Fagunwa's novels draw heavily on folktale traditions and idioms, including many supernatural elements. He also used Greek myths and Shakespearean stories as themes in his books, such as in his book Igbo Olodumare, where the character Baba onirugbon yeuke tells a story similar to Romeo and Juliet. D. O. Fagunwa was the first Nigerian writer to employ folk philosophy in telling his stories. Fagunwa was awarded the Margaret Wrong Prize in 1955 and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1959.

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.

Chief Fagunwa was created an Oloye of the Yorùbá people prior to his demise in 1963. Fagunwa Memorial High School and Fagunwa Grammar School in Oke Igbo, Nigeria, are named for Fagunwa. His daughter, Yejide Ogundipe, serves as a council chairperson for Ile Oluji/Okeigbo. Fagunwa day (formerly known as Fagunwa night) is an annual event aimed at reading and promoting his five books. Fagunwa day was initiated in his honour by the Society of Young Nigerian Writers in conjunction with Fagunwa Literary Society and Egbe Odo Onkowe Ede Yorùbá.

"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

Adéẹ̀kọ́, Adélékè and Adéṣọ̀kàn, Akin (eds. ), Celebrating D. O. Fágúnwà: Aspects of African & World Literary History, Bookcraft Africa, 2017,
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.