Gabriel Okara, born 1921 in Bumodi, Nigeria, is a poet and novelist whose work has been translated into several languages. Largely self-educated, Okara became a bookbinder after leaving school but began writing plays and features for radio. In 1953 his poem “The Call of the River Nun” won an award at the Nigerian Festival of Arts. Some of his poems were published in the influential periodical Black Orpheus, and by 1960 he was recognized as an accomplished writer.
Okara’s poetry is based on a series of contrasts in which symbols are neatly balanced against each other. The need to reconcile the extremes of experience, life and death are common themes, is his frequent subject. Many of his poems have a circular narrative. He incorporates African ideas, religion, folklore, and imagery into his writing. His first novel, ‘The Voic'e (1964), is a linguistic experiment in which Okara uses the rhythms and construction of his native language.
During the 1960s Okara worked in civil service, and from later, till 1980, he was director of the Rivers State Publishing House in Port Harcourt. His later work includes a collection of poems, ‘The Fisherman’s Invocation’ (1978), and two books for children.
