Tradurre la Nigeria in Sicilia: Il Sommo Soyinka

Abstract

The chapter linguistically and culturally frames the writing of the celebrated Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, whose works the author has translated into Italian. Examining Soyinka’s production in the context of Nigerian English-language literature, she reflects on how translating is a linguistic as much as a cultural process. Focusing on the Nobel Laureate’s post-exile literary production, the essay highlights the context and the techniques used in the translation of his mature poem, A Humanist Ode for Chibok, Leah (2019), which addresses pressing contemporary social and political themes through a poetic form inspired by ancient models.