Bayo Adebowale (born 6 June 1944) is a Nigerian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, professor, critic, librarian and founder of the African Heritage Library and Cultural Centre, Adeyipo, Ibadan Oyo State

Early life and education

He was born on 6 June 1944 in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

, the capital of

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

, Southwestern

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

into the family of Akangbe Adebowale, who was a farmer. Bayo obtained his

West African School Certificate The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a type of standardized test in West Africa. Students who pass the exam receive a certificate confirming their graduation from secondary education. It is administered by the West Af ...

from Secondary Modern School Ibadan in 1958 after which he proceeded to St Peter's Teacher College where he received a Grade III certificate in education in 1961. He was admitted to Baptist College in Ede where he obtained a Grade II Teacher certificate. He later on proceeded to the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

, where he obtained a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(B.A) degree in English Language in 1974 and served the

National Youth Service Corps The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a mandatory, post-tertiary scheme set up by the Nigerian government during the military regime of Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, to "reconstruct, reconcile and rebuild the country after the Nigerian ...

in 1975. The same year he joined the services of the Western State Public Service Commission as an education officer before he later became an English instructor at Government Trade Centre,

. Three years later (1978), He obtained a master's degree in the English language. The same year he joined the Oyo State College of Education as Lecturer I and was later transferred to the Polytechnic of Ibadan, where he rose to the position of Deputy Rector between 1999 and 2003 having obtained a Doctorate Degree (Ph.d) in Literature in English from the

University of Ilorin University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) is a federal government-owned public research university in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The university's main campus sits on an expansive area of land, about 5,000 hectares in the ancient city of Ilorin; making ...

in 1997.

Books

He has published hundreds of books, short stories and novels as a prolific writer. His debut novel, '' The Virgin'', was adapted into two Nigerian films: '' The Narrow Path'', a 2006 Nigerian film produced and directed by

Tunde Kelani Tunde Kelani (born February 26,1946), popularly known as TK, is a Nigerian filmmaker. In a career spanning more than four decades, TK specialises in producing movies that promote Nigeria's cultural heritage, particularly that of the Yoruba. He ...

, which starred

Sola Asedeko Sola Asedeko is a Nigerian film actress, Filmmaking, film-maker and director. She is popularly known as ''Abeni'' for her lead role in Abeni (film), Abeni, a 2006 Nigerian film, produced and directed by Tunde Kelani. Early life Asedeko was born ...

, and ''The White Handkerchief''. He authored ''

Lonely Days "Lonely Days" is a ballad written and performed by the Bee Gees. It appeared on their album ''2 Years On'', and was released as a single, becoming their first Top Five hit in the US, peaking at number three in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and rea ...

'', a book that focus on African culture. He has played a significant role in Black African Literature in English. He also authored a novel titled ''Out of his Mind''. In 1972, his short story, titled ''The River Goddess'' bagged the Western State Festival of Arts Literary Competition and In 1992, his poem, titled ''Perdition'' bagged the Africa Prize in the Index on Censorship International Poetry Competition in London. His work have been used in research and teaching by several universities.

References

External links

Summary Of Lonely Days
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adebowale, Bayo Nigerian male novelists People from Osun State Nigerian male poets University of Ibadan alumni Academic staff of the University of Ilorin Academic staff of The Polytechnic, Ibadan Writers from Ibadan 20th-century Nigerian novelists 20th-century Nigerian poets 21st-century Nigerian novelists 21st-century Nigerian poets Nigerian librarians 1944 births Living people