Biography Essay

The centrality of Christopher Okigbo in the development of modern poetry in Africa is an acknowledged reality. Perhaps the greatest tribute to him has been that by his friend and contemporary Wole Soyinka, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 and associated Okigbo with this great honor by setting up an African poetry prize in his name. The irony of this recognition would not be missed by Okigbo himself, who, when asked by interviewer Marjory Whitelaw whether he thought of himself as an African poet, answered, "I think I am just a poet. A poet writes poetry and once the work is published it becomes public property. It's left to whoever reads it to decide whether it's African poetry or English." But beyond the irony is the reality of the acclaim with which Okigbo's poetry continues to be received. He achieved a legendary status in...