Kole Omotoso belongs to, and indeed personifies, the second generation of Nigerian writers. From the outset he began to address a local audience, often using local publishers and employing an artistic style that is accessible to common people. He is a fearless social critic whose creative writing and frequent presentations in the news media reveal the tragic situation of the common man and criticize the Nigerian intellectual, political, and business elite who are given to materialism and the perpetuation of neocolonialism. In spite of an asthmatic condition, Omotoso is energetic, tirelessly attending to many commitments, one of which involves promoting the interests of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). He was national secretary for this association from its inception in 1981 until 1984 and served as its national president from 1986 to 1987.

Omotoso was born on 21 April 1943 in Akure and obtained his early education in local schools and at King's College...