{"id":5315,"date":"2024-10-13T22:41:42","date_gmt":"2024-10-13T22:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/?p=5315"},"modified":"2024-10-13T22:41:42","modified_gmt":"2024-10-13T22:41:42","slug":"he-knew-this-was-going-to-be-the-last-story-he-wrote-the-epic-legacy-of-literary-maverick-biyi-bandele-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/?p=5315","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He knew this was going to be the last story he wrote\u2019: the epic legacy of literary maverick Biyi B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9 | Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

In early August 2022, Biyi B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9 discussed his novel, Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 Boy Running<\/em>, with his editor, Hannah Chukwu. The next day, the 54-year-old filmmaker, playwright, and novelist took his own life, leaving a remarkable and diverse body of work that includes the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie\u2019s Half of a Yellow Sun<\/em>, stage adaptations of Chinua Achebe\u2019s Things Fall Apart<\/em>, Aphra Behn\u2019s Oroonoko<\/em>, and Lorca\u2019s Yerma<\/em>, as well as poetry, screenplays, and novels like Burma Boy<\/em>, which recounts his father\u2019s traumatic experiences in World War II. B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9’s creativity transcended genre, medium, geography, and time.<\/p>\n

Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 Boy Running<\/em> narrates the life of Samuel \u00c0j\u00e0y\u00ed Crowther, whose 19th-century journey included abduction, enslavement, and eventual rise to become the first black bishop ordained by the Anglican Church. Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, who wrote the foreword, praises B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s vivid storytelling, noting that his style diverges from traditional slave narratives, creating an intimate understanding of capture and displacement intertwined with colonialism in West Africa.<\/p>\n

Actor and novelist Paterson Joseph first met B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9 while playing Busi in the 1993 television play Not Even God Is Wise Enough<\/em>, directed by Danny Boyle. He describes Busi as a character reminiscent of \u201cBilly Liar,\u201d grappling with absurdities and seeking his identity, amidst a backdrop where few black protagonists were portrayed on British television. Joseph recalls the distinctiveness of B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9’s writing, which respected and broke conventions, leading to a fresh narrative style.<\/p>\n

B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s daughter, Temi, now an artist, shares fond memories of her father\u2019s encouragement of her creativity from a young age. She recalls an exhibition of Benin bronzes when her father provided her with paper and pencils to draw. Calderwood mentions B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9’s expansive life, reflecting a multitude of identities that he wished to pass on to Temi.<\/p>\n

Kwame Kwei-Armah, B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s friend and the Young Vic\u2019s outgoing artistic director, reflects on B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s unique global perspective as both Nigerian and British, and his profound insight into the human experience. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who starred in Half of a Yellow Sun<\/em> and narrates Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 Boy Running<\/em>, speaks about B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s ability to blend melodrama with humor while exploring the philosophical nuances of pre-civil war Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Temi believes her father would have been proud of his completed novel, stating he understood its significance as his final work. She hopes it sparks dialogue, saying he was ready to share his last story with the world. Calderwood adds that after four decades of storytelling, B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9 aimed to initiate meaningful conversations through his work.<\/p>\n

Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 Boy Running<\/em> by Biyi B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9 is published by Hamish Hamilton (\u00a318.99). To support the Guardian and Observer, you can order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply. <\/p>\n

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be reached at freephone 116 123, or via email at jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, chat at 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 for crisis support. In Australia, Lifeline can be contacted at 13 11 14. Other international helplines are available at befrienders.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In early August 2022, Biyi B\u00e1nd\u00e9l\u00e9 discussed his novel, Yor\u00f9b\u00e1 Boy Running, with his editor, Hannah Chukwu. The next day, the 54-year-old filmmaker, playwright, and novelist took his own life, leaving a remarkable and diverse body of work that includes the film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie\u2019s Half of a Yellow Sun, stage adaptations of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5315","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-restaurant-news-uk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restaurantnews.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}