Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies: Title

UCLA
Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies
Title
Daniel O. Fagunwa, Forest of a Thousand Daemons, A Hunters Saga
(New York, NY: Random House, 1982). pp. 140.
Permalink
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0cf1c74s
Journal
Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 39(2)
ISSN
0041-5715
Author
Lee, Hiseo
Publication Date
2016
DOI
10.5070/F7392031101
Peer reviewed
eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library

University of California
Daniel O. Fagunwa, Forest of a Thousand Daemons, A Hunters
Saga. Translated by Wole Soyinka (San Francisco, CA: City Lights
Books, 2013). pp. 140.
Hiseo Lee
Daniel O. Fagunwa is the first author to complete a novel in
Yoruba.1 He is well-known for his creativity and ability to situate
spirituality and the fantastical element within his stories. Forest
of a Thousand Daemons mimics Yoruba story-telling traditions.
It fuses the supernatural within a Yoruba historical tradition.
Fagunwa utilizes the first person narrative to show how the
Yoruba understand and rationalized God and His existence.
Within the novel, the narrator addresses the audience
directly and invites them to experience the novel’s fullness by
stepping into its characters’ shoes. Fagunwa writes, “Firstly, when-
ever a character in my story speaks in his own person, you must
put yourselves in his place and speak as if you are that very man.”2
The translator, Wole Soyinka, furthers enriches the experience by
including untranslated Yoruba words throughout the story. For
those illiterate in Yoruba, a glossary is included in the beginning
of the book to facilitate comprehension. The hunter’s and narra-
tor’s dynamic interactions propels the story’s plot.
The novel is pieced together with short stories told by the
main character, Akara-Ogun. Akara-Ogun is hunter who encoun-
ters many obstacles inside an enchanting and mysterious forest.3
As the protagonist is pitted against beasts and supernatural forces,
a repeating theme of man’s helplessness without God is illus-
trated.4 Akara-Ogun’s internal conflict reflects the need for God
because corrupted human desire ultimately leads to destruction.5
Through this eloquently written mythology, the audience
becomes cognizant of their own flaws. Fagunwa connects the mys-
tical and supernatural occurrences to everyday sins and desires.
For example, after Akara-Ogun travels to The Forest for the first
time, people believed he would never return. However, the pro-
tagonist does not learn his lesson of danger of the unknown. The
novel reads: “But, no, I did hunt again, for it is in the profession
to which a man is trained that he must serve; the goods which he
truly understands are what a trader sells, and it was not fitting
that I should leave my profession at the prime of day and turn
to masonry or wood-carving.”6 Fagunwa’s diction evokes both
© 2016 All Rights Reserved. Ufahamu 39:2 Spring 2016

Lee 251
seriousness and humor to present human understanding of the

spiritual and natural world we exist in. He writes, “When I have
done eating I will lay my tongue to the tale of my second journey,
and that story is even more delectable than the one that has gone
before.”7 Even through this short excerpt, Akara-Ogun portrays
the skill to captivate the readers’ attention through storytelling.
Fagunwa ends his novel on a special note and moment of
introspection for the readers. Wise words are written to the audi-
ence, which tie in all of the lessons learned by the main character
throughout his long journey. The author challenges the readers
to re-think their own lives, “put the story of this book to wise
use.”8 He ties wisdom and fascinating imagination to bridge all of
Akara-Ogun’s adventures with real-life themes. He writes, “The
key to this world is in the hands of no man, as you pass through
your journey in the world, meeting with good luck and encoun-
tering the bitter, accept everything cheerfully, behave like men
and remember that God on High helps only those who help
themselves.”9 This book is more than a morality lesson. The art
of storytelling successfully lives on through The Forest of a Thou-
sand Daemons. For those enticed by mythology, adventure, and a
deeper coalescence between morality lessons and inspired writing,
this book is for you.
Notes
1 Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. “D.O.Fagunwa”, accessed May 28, 2016,
http://www.britannica.com/biography/D-O-Fagunwa
2 Daniel O. Fagunwa, Forest of a Thousand Daemons. Translated by Wole
Soyinka (San Francisco: City Lights Books, 2013), 3.
3 Ibid., 11.
4 Ibid., 90.
5 Ibid., 145.
6 Ibid., 36.
7 Ibid., 33.
8 Ibid., 153.
9 Ibid.

Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies: Title

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies: Title

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies: Title

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

UCLA

Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies

eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library

© 2016 All Rights Reserved. Ufahamu 39:2 Spring 2016

seriousness and humor to present human understanding of the

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.