Nobel Prize Winner to Speak at Chapman

Nigerian author and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka will speak this month as part of Chapman University’s Distinguished Author series.

A poet, novelist, playwright and essayist, Soyinka has documented much of Africa’s political turmoil in the 20th century and the struggle to reconcile tradition with modernization, Chapman officials said.

“He is an outstanding writer who exemplifies global citizenship,” said Mark Axelrod, assistant professor of comparative literature at the university.

Soyinka was held in a Nigerian prison for two years on unspecified charges in the 1960s. While incarcerated, he made his own ink with which to write poems and kept a diary on toilet paper and cigarette packets.

Soyinka will speak at 8 p.m. April 16 at the Chapman Auditorium. Tickets to attend the speech are $5, with discounts available to students, seniors and other groups. Information: (714) 997-6812.