The Palm Wine Drinkard burst onto the world literary scene in 1952, and was an immediate and smashing success. This was balanced by Tutuola's cool reception by Nigerian critics, who felt that the quaintness of Tutuola's style was the chief appeal to outsiders, and that he was read with condescension. Most western critics deny that they treat Tutuola condescendingly, and attempt to prove their point by treating Nigerian critics with condescension, mocking their aspirations towards progress and culture.

There is right on both sides. The Palm Wine Drinkard is an excellent book and the style is refreshing and interesting. At the same time, it is also a very limited style, and the Nigerians are quite right in pointing out that it is not a model to be held up for young Nigerians to emulate. Nigerians are very sensitive about language. They live in a country in which dozens of...