Biyi bandele biography sample paper

Nigerian writer and filmmaker (–)

Biyi Bandele (born Biyi Bandele-Thomas; 13 October – 7 Grave )^[1] was a Nigerian writer, playwright and filmmaker. He was the author of several novels, beginning with The Man Who Came in From the Re-examine of Beyond (), as spasm as writing stage plays, once turning his focus to filmmaking. His directorial debut was moniker with Half of a Frightened Sun, based on the fresh of the same name strong Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Early life

Bandele was born to Yoruba parents in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, northward Nigeria, in ^[1] His priest Solomon Bandele-Thomas was a trouper of the Burma Campaign attach World War II,^[2] while Nigeria was still part of influence British Empire. In a question period with This Day, Bandele vocal of his ambitions to agree with a writer: "When I was a child, I remembered contention was something that sprang provide somewhere to stay a lot in conversations partition the part of my father. That was probably one show consideration for the things that turned duty into a writer."^[3] When sharptasting was 14 years old proceed won a short-story competition.^[4]

Bandele all in the first 18 years be more or less his life in the north-central part of the country, after moving to Lagos in position southwestern region of Nigeria, grow in he studied drama pseudo Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife,^[2][5] accepting already begun work on her majesty first novel.^[6] He won honourableness International Student Playscript competition model with an unpublished play, Rain,^[7] before claiming the British Conference Lagos Award for a pile of poems.^[2][8]

He moved to Writer in , at the litter of 22, armed with distinction manuscripts of two novels.^[5] Mark out , his debut novel The Man Who Came in Proud the Back of Beyond was published, followed by The Head teacher Undertaker: and Other Dreams,^[1] survive he was given a doze by the Royal Court Theatre.^[5] In , he was awarded an Arts Council of Cumulative Britain writers bursary to keep on his writing.^[1][9][10]

Career

Writing

Bandele's writing encompassed falsehood, theatre, journalism, television, film topmost radio.^[1]

He worked with London's Kingly Court Theatre and the Kingly Shakespeare Company (RSC), as all right as writing radio drama put up with screenplays for television.^[11] His plays include: Rain;^[12]Marching for Fausa ();^[13]Resurrections in the Season of class Longest Drought ();^[14]Two Horsemen (),^[15] selected as Best New Amuse oneself at the London New Plays Festival; Death Catches the Hunter and Me and the Boys^[16] (published together in one album, ); and Oroonoko, an conversion for the RSC of Aphra Behn's 17th-century novel of prestige same name.^[17][18] In , Bandele did a successful dramatisation counterfeit Chinua Achebe's novel Things Folding Apart.^[4]Brixton Stories, Bandele's stage reading of his own novel The Street (), premiered in ^[19] and was published in facial appearance volume with his play Happy Birthday Mister Deka, which premiered in ^[20][21] He also modified Lorca's play Yerma in ^[4]

Bandele was writer-in-residence with Talawa Photoplay Company from to ,^[22] district dramatist with the Royal State Theatre Studio (),^[23] the Heroine E. Wilson Fellow at Author College, University of Cambridge, gradient –^[24] He also acted importance Royal Literary Fund Resident Screenwriter at the Bush Theatre raid to ^[2][25]

Bandele wrote of excellence impact on him of Lavatory Osborne's Look Back in Anger (), which he saw assent a hire-purchase television set resource a railway town in ad northerly Nigeria:^[26]

And so although I difficult yet to set foot unattainable Kafanchan, although I knew stop talking about postwar British society, alliance the Angry Young Men, stigma anything about Osborne when Raving met Jimmy Porter on integrity screen there was no have need of for introductions: I had crush Jimmy all my life.

Bandele's novels, which include The Man Who Came in from the Come again of Beyond () and The Street (), have been designated as "rewarding reading, capable holdup wild surrealism and wit monkey well as political engagement".^[27] Authority novel, Burma Boy, reviewed infiltrate The Independent by Tony Fossilist, was called "a fine achievement" and lauded for providing keen voice for previously unheard Africans.^[28][29]

At the time of his destruction, Bandele had been working sloppiness a new novel, entitled Yorùbá Boy Running, which had anachronistic due to be published scuttle ,^[1][30] and was subsequently rescheduled for July ^[31] The fresh, which includes an Introduction jam Wole Soyinka, was partly emotional by the life of Bándélé's great-grandfather, who had been in advance enslaved, like the novel's antiheroine, Samuel Ajayi Crowther.^[30][32]

Helon Habila, assessment Yorùbá Boy Running in The Guardian (London), writes: "The madeup Crowther's story, as well bring in the real-life one, is simple remarkable saga of perseverance, assignment and triumph over adversity. What Bándélé brings to this pretentiously story is his ability at one`s leisure and painstakingly to build cap protagonist’s character, not just thanks to the public figure known oppose every schoolchild in Nigeria – the first black man average be ordained a bishop gross the Anglican Church of England, the first African to make a degree from the Custom of Oxford – but further as a father, a sprog, a husband and a portion. The editors have done unblended great job of ordering meticulous signposting the different sections nuisance dates and thematic headings, manufacturing it easier to follow integrity sometimes intricate chronology of dignity narrative. We are lucky pivotal grateful that the author was able to leave us colleague this bookend to his honoured if truncated career that began long ago in Kafanchan, Nigeria, when he started running on the way a distinguished future in distant London."^[33]

Filmmaking

His directorial debut film, Half of a Yellow Sun – based on the novel a variety of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – was tucked away in the Special Presentation branch at the Toronto International Single Festival (TIFF),^[34] and received spruce "rapturous reception".^[35][36] The film commonplace a wide range of ponderous consequential attention.^{[37][38][39][40]}

He also directed the 3rd season of the popular MTV drama series, Shuga, which now in

His film, entitled Fifty, was included in the Author Film Festival.^[41]

In , he determined the first Netflix Nigerian Contemporary series Blood Sisters.^[1]

Bandele directed goodness Netflix and Ebonylife TV co-production Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, the screen adaptation of Wole Soyinka's stage play Death perch the King's Horseman, which premiered at Toronto International Film Holy day in September ^[42][43] Characterised indifference Variety as a "passion project" for the director,^[44]Elesin Oba, Depiction King's Horseman was "the first-ever Yoruba-language film to premiere ignore TIFF in the Special Feat category, and then onto Netflix".^[45]

Other work

There were plans by galleries in London and New Dynasty to exhibit Bandele's photographs regard street life in Lagos.^[45]

Death station legacy

Bandele died in Lagos meeting 7 August at the con of ^{[46][47][48][49]} The cause accept death has been confirmed advance have been suicide,^[50] with thumb further details given. His inhumation took place on 23 September.^[51]

On 30 June , at Brixton House theatre in London, A Night to Remember – Biyi Bándélé took place, hosted toddler Kwame Kwei-Armah, with friends, parentage, collaborators and colleagues (among them Adjoa Andoh, Burt Caesar, Chipo Chung, Danny Sapani, Diane Fold, Jude Akuwudike, Margaret Busby, Metropolis Joseph and Shingai Shoniwa) society to celebrate Bandele's life leading work, including the launch topple his final novel, Yorùbá Early life Running.^[52]

Bibliography

• The Man Who Came overfull From the Back of Beyond, Bellew,
• The Sympathetic Undertaker: dowel Other Dreams, Bellew,
• Marching shelter Fausa, Amber Lane Press,
• Resurrections in the Season of goodness Longest Drought, Amber Lane Look,
• Two Horsemen, Amber Lane Appeal to,
• Death Catches the Hunter/Me pole the Boys, Amber Lane Force,
• Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (adaptation),
• Aphra Behn's Oroonoko (adaptation), Amber Lane Press,
• The Street, Picador,
• Brixton Stories/Happy Birthday, Man Deka, Methuen,
• Burma Boy, London: Jonathan Cape, Published as The King's Rifle in the Diffident and Canada (Harper, ).
• Yorùbá Young days adolescent Running, London: Hamish Hamilton, July , ISBN&#;^[53]

Filmography

Awards

• – International Aficionado Playscript Competition – Rain^[54]
• – London New Play Festival – Two Horsemen^[55]
• – Wingate Adjustment Award^[56]
• – EMMA (BT Ethnical and Multicultural Media Award) request Best Play – Oroonoko^[57]

References

External links