Ekwensi’s collection of Igbo folk tales, published by Thomas Nelson and Sons and credited to C. O. D. Ekwensi — the initials he used before “Cyprian Ekwensi” became the name on the covers. It is the earliest thing in this collection, and it is not a novel: it is a book of stories gathered from oral tradition, made by a writer who would go on to invent the Nigerian city novel.
The author’s note is the most interesting page. Ekwensi tells the reader that these tales were told only at night, because it was believed the narrator’s mother would die if they were told by day; that the narrator was usually a man with a good voice who could carry a crowd with the rhythm of a song; and that he could not translate into sensible English the choruses the listeners chanted back. That last admission is a small and honest statement of what is lost when performance becomes print.
The twenty-four tales include The Palm-oil Daughter, Why the Kingfisher Nods, The Speaking Mushrooms, The Crocodile-Woman and the title story. Four plates are listed. The book is dedicated to the author’s father and mother.
Undated. No year of publication appears on any of the scanned pages. The imprint leaf carries only the Nelson office addresses. Its position first in this collection is provisional, based on the use of the author’s initials rather than his full name; a date from the copy would settle it.
