Wole Soyinka's Nobel Prize-winning debut novel tells the story of a group of friends facing political corruption and cultural uncertainty in post-independence Nigeria. A transformative work in its time, The Interpreters is a classic piece of modern literature.
Friends since high school, the five young men at the heart of The Interpreters have returned to Lagos after studying abroad and are about to embark on very different careers.
As they navigate wild parties, affairs of the heart, philosophical debates, and professional dilemmas, they struggle to reconcile the cultural traditions and Western influences that have shaped them — and that still divide their country.
In The Interpreters, Soyinka deftly weaves memories of the past through scenes of the present as the friends move toward an uncertain future. The result is a vividly realised fictional world rendered in prose that pivots easily from satire to tragedy and manages to be both wildly funny and soaringly poetic.
'No other writer has Soyinka's unique positioning in the political and cultural life of his nation.' Ben Okri
'Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian icon.' Guardian
'Elaborately, strikingly and indeed often beautifully written.' The Times
