Aké: The Years of Childhood (1981) recounts Oluwole (Wole) Soyinka's first eleven years (1934-1944), centred on his home life in Abeokuta, within the parsonage compound, where his father, ‘Essay' [S.A.], was headmaster and his mother, ‘Wild Christian', was a homemaker and market woman. A fifteen-chapter autobiography, Aké is an artistic shaping of memories. It has received accolades and some negative reaction – for its lack of strict adherence to psychological perspectives on childhood and consciousness. A special issue of The Southern Review (23.3 (July 1987)) is devoted to the reception of and strategies for approaching Aké.
Aké reveals Wole's growing consciousness and his moral awareness. The movement is from the general to the specific, from a ménage of events and impressions to the actions of the Women's Union. The variegated events in Wole's life...
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Citation: McLuckie, Craig. "Aké: the Years of Childhood". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 March 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12846, accessed 05 December 2025.]
