Yoruba Folktales

by Amos Tutuola

The author ranks as one of the foremost living traditional African storytellers - as recognised by the acclaim of his first book, The Palm-wine Drinkard. This book includes seven folktales especially for young adults, but of universal appeal. Beautiful black and white ink drawings illustrate the tales whose cast of characters include humans, a goddess, an elephant woman, a boa constrictor and a shell-man.

Genres: Africa, African Literature, Young Adult, Short Stories, Folklore, Fantasy

68 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 1987

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

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is written for children, and that shows, but the stories are told in such an engaging way that it's also fun for adults to read them.