Wole Soyinka

Soyinka, Wole (1934– ), Nigerian writer, first African to win a Nobel Prize in literature (1986). His works include the novel The Interpreters (1965) and the memoir Ake: The Years of Childhood (1981). He has been president of the International Theater Institute since 1985. Soyinka has been jailed for his activities on behalf of black political freedom. In 1997, the Nigerian military regime accused Soyinka—who lives in the U.S.—of high treason.