‘A true artist. A brilliant writer. An original thinker’ Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieYoruba Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther’s miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting‘Run, Ajayi, run!’The day the Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Osogun, thirteen-year-old Ajayi’s life was split in two.Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yoruba gods of forest and water, earth and sky. After: capture, slavery – and release, into the service of a new god, his own culture left far behind. So Ajayi becomes Samuel Crowther – missionary, linguist, minister – and abolitionist: driven to negotiate against his own people to end the miserable trade in human beings which destroyed his family.Drawing on the prolific writings of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Biyi Bandele has created a many-voiced, kaleidoscopic portrait of an extraordinary man. From the heart-stopping drama of Ajayi’s last day of freedom to the farcical intrigue of the Osogun court; from a meeting with Queen Victoria; to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, his journey, like all great odysseys, circles back to where he began. By turns witty, moving and quietly political, Biyi Bandele’s reimagining of Crowther’s life is a brilliant tour de force.WITH AN INTRODUCTION FROM WOLE SOYINKA‘Biyi Bandele had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yoruba Boy Running is no exception’ Chiwitel EjioforCover artwork Chris Ofili, Blind Leading Blind, 2005 (c) The artist.

About the AuthorBiyi Bandele was a novelist, playwright and filmmaker. He was the author of the novels, The Man Who Came in From the Back of Beyond, The Street, The Sympathetic Undertaker, Burma Boy and Yoruba Boy Running. His directorial debut was with Half of a Yellow Sun, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Biyi Bandele passed away in 2022.ReviewsRiotous, exquisite, mesmerizing . . . Bandele’s prose mutates in tone from exuberance to sobriety, from the epic to the intimate, from bawdy humour to glacial understatement . . . [he] shifts from farce to tragedy and back, with lewd jokes suddenly giving way to scenes of sheer terror or gruesome violence . . . Yoruba Boy Running doesn’t pander to any fixed position: it is a testament to Biyi Bandele’s courage and integrity that, in this age of strident polarization, he chose not to shy away from moral complexity * Times Literary Supplement *A remarkable saga of perseverance, dedication and triumph over adversity . . . The wit and dramatic timing read like something by Wole Soyinka . . . We are lucky and grateful that the author was able to leave us with this bookend to his glorious if truncated career — Helon Habila * Guardian *Biyi was a unique, all-responsive talent . . . The more he achieved, the further he aimed — Wole Soyinka[A] literary maverick . . . His was a talent unrestrained by genre, medium, geography or period — Alex Clark * Guardian *Biyi Bandele had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yoruba Boy Running is no exceptionA magical, immersive journey . . . Bandele effortlessly draws the picture of the birth of colonial Nigeria with such panache and vibrancy that you are entertained while being deeply enlightened . . . Bandele allow us to both observe and care for the characters he brings us, from village elders and Muslim slave traders to English colonisers. Biyi Bandele’s wise and lyrical voice will be sorely missedBandele excels both himself in this richly crafted novel, brimming with mirth, fervour and his sheer joy of language . . . This is the novel as homage, truth-telling, illumination. I’m in awe, inspired. We have been gifted an almighty legacy — Courttia NewlandBiyi Bandele’s remains a master storyteller to the end. A magnificent novel; rich, humorous, lyrical, breathtaking. What a joy — Chikodili EmelumaduIn Yoruba Boy Running, Bandele writes with a nimble, rigorous prose. He has left us a matchless parting gift in this magnificent, unforgettable novel. And we, his readers, are grateful — Chika UnigweOne of Africa’s important stories vividly brought to life in the hands of a master weaver of tales and true creative genius — Sarah BrownA masterful piece of writing that will prove Biyi as one of Africa’s greatest writers. Lyrical, tragic and witty in turns. Chronicling one of humanities most shameful periods with unflinching honesty and deft storytelling — Clint DyerThis nimble, many-voiced tale never ceases to surprise as it soars and dips over the landscape of the Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther’s life, building to a sobering yet poignant conclusion. It was such a pleasure to read — Umar TurakiAs important and as riveting as it is generous, raising Ajayi Crowther to a place beside Equiano Olaudah, Fredrick Douglas and Phyllis WheatleyYoruba Boy Running is a brilliant novel, weaving together wit, African history, and spirituality to reimagine the compelling story of Samuel Ajayi Crowther-a story of liberation — J K ChukwuI always had huge respect for [Biyi’s] prolific, super-talented and fearless creativity — Bernardine EvaristoPassionately committed to every venture, Biyi displayed great urgency in all his productivity. He was a beguiling mix of daring and reticence, self-confidence and humility, with bravely ambitious dreams — Margaret Busby * Guardian *[Biyi Bandele’s novels] are rewarding reading, capable of wild surrealism and wit, as well as political engagement, as is all his writing * Independent *Biyi Bandele was a titan, who did the heavy lifting and laid the foundations many British Nigerian writers & theatre makers walk on — Inua EllamsBandele, who is without doubt one of Africa’s finest creative minds, built an extensive career across various creative spaces, achieving success in literature and film * Brittle Paper *Book InformationISBN 9780241562697Author Biyi BandeleFormat HardbackPage Count 288Imprint Hamish Hamilton LtdPublisher Penguin Books LtdWeight(grams) 484gDimensions(mm) 242mm * 162mm * 26mm