John Munonye

John Munonye (April 1929 – 10 May 1999) was an Igbo writer and one of the most renowned Nigerian writers of the 20th century.

Biography John Munonye was born in Akokwa, Nigeria, and was educated at Christ the King College, Onitsha (1943–48), the University of Ibadan (graduating in 1952) He worked for the Nigerian Ministry of Education until 1977, leaving to teach and devote more time to writing. His other novels were A Wreath for the Maidens (1973), A Dancer of Fortune (1974), and Bridge to a Wedding (1978), after which he published little.

Criticism and style Munonye, unlike some of his contemporaries, professed a love for optimism in the face of colonial onslaught on traditional values. To him, the dialectical environment of African and western tradition can be seen in both a positive light and outcome for the common Igbo or Nigerian man or woman. An overriding theme in his novels is the focus on the common man. Munonye sometimes view the common man as being born into a position whereby he is already at a disadvantage, both historically and presently, He sees little difference to the fate of the common man who could be manipulated at the whims of elites and chiefs in both pre- and post-colonial Nigeria and during colonialism.

Works The Only Son: Heinemann (African Writers Series, 21), 1966. Obi, Ibadan: Heinemann (African Writers Series, 45), 1969. Oil Man of Obange: Heinemann (African Writers Series, 94), 1971. A Wreath for the Maidens: Heinemann (African Writers Series, 121), 1973. A Dancer of Fortune: Heinemann (African Writers Series, 153), 1974. Bridge to a Wedding: Heinemann (African Writers Series, 195), 1978.