People of the City

First edition

People of the City is the debut novel of Cyprian Ekwensi first published in 1954 by Andrew Dakers Ltd. The novel was a predecessor to a number of other city novels in the Nigerian tradition.[1]

Development

Ekwensi began writing the novel while studying pharmacy on scholarship at the University of London.[2] The novel, originated as a series of stories broadcast on the radio, for West Africans living in Britain after World War II.[3]

Critic Chidi Okonkwo, says that the primary influences for Ekwenksi when developing the novel and his writing style, included "Westerns, detective thrillers, oriental tales like Arabian Nights", "European-hero-in-Africa" tales, like those of H. Rider Haggard, adventure tales like Robert Louis Stevenson's, and Indian films."[3] Okonkwo describes these influences as obscuring Ekwensi's earlier experience translating African indigenous stories into English.[3]

Style

The novel has a didactic tone.[3]

Themes

The novel challenges European colonial dominance in Africa.[3]

Literary criticism

Early reception of the novel was generally positive, focusing on the urban setting.[3]

References

1. Charles E. Nnolim (2010). Approaches to the African Novel: Essays in Analysis. African Books Collective. p. 198. ISBN 978-978-8422-19-8.
2. Adenekan, Shola (2008-01-24). "Cyprian Ekwensi". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
3. Okonkwo, Chidi (8 April 2014). "People of the City". In Paul Schellinger (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Novel. Routledge. pp. 984–985. ISBN 978-1-135-91826-2.