Ajaiyi and His Inherited Poverty

by Amos Tutuola

This is the story of Ajaiyi, a man born into poverty who is determined to improve his situation. In the hope of finding the money he needs, he travels through unfamiliar lands filled with strange creatures. He meets the Spirit of Fire with its huge feathered head and flaming body, and receives assistance from a wizard and a unicorn. Yet, in the end, the answer to his woes is not far from home. Amos Tutuola was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1920. His first novel, The Palm-Wine Drinkard, was acquired by T. S. Eliot and published by Faber in 1952.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1967

About the author

Amos Tutuola (20 June 1920 – 8 June 1997) was a Nigerian writer famous for his books based in part on Yoruba folk-tales.
Despite his short formal education, Tutuola wrote his novels in English. His writing's grammar often relies more on Yoruba orality than on standard English.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read enough Tutuola now that there is a repetitive familiarity with his style & the nature of the episodic situations in which his characters find themselves, which is fine as I enjoy both.
There's a throwaway bit of the strange on page one in which Ajaiya introduces herself, saying that her story happened 200 years ago when she came into the world through other parents as a boy & not a girl. This isn't alluded to again, but seemed to hang over the narrative as it unfolded, and just felt subtly subversive in a way I can't quite articulate. I love Tutuola's ability to put me slightly off balance.

[Rasheedat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming

[Lulu · Rating 1 out of 5]

One eyed spirits are not my cup of tea.

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful plot with plenty of potential but the writing makes it hard to read, creates a choppy and inconsistent reading style