Esiaba Irobi – a poet,
playwright, actor and scholar was born in the Republic of
Biafra on October 1, 1960, and lived in in exile in Nigeria,
Britain, United States and Germany where he passed away on
May 3, 2010. He studied at the Universities of Nigeria,
Sheffield and Leeds, and held a B.A. in English/Drama, M.A.
Comparative Literature, M.A. Film/Theatre, and PhD in
Theatre Studies. In 1992 his play, Cemetery Road won the
prestigious World Drama Trust Award. His books include
Nwokedi, The Colour of Rusting Gold, Cotyledons, Hangmen
Also Die, and Why I don’t Like Philip Larkin and Other
Poems. He leaves behind a wife, Uloaku and a son, Nnamdi.
Poor African Writers Travelling: Home
and Exile in younger Nigerian Diasporic Writing.
Akeh evaluates the impact of exile in a
younger generation of Nigerian writers. The essay integrates
reviews of four poetry collections by Chuma Nwokolo jr,
Nnorom Azuonye, Esiaba Irobi and Uche Nduka.
