Nigerian writer and linguist Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún has a new book forthcoming. The collection of poetry titled Ìgbà Èwe is a Yoruba translation of Childhood, a poetry book by American philosopher and professor Emily R. Grosholz. Ìgbà Èwe is bilingual and features Yoruba and English texts of Grosholz’s poems. With this powerful new edition, Túbọ̀sún introduces Grosholz’s work to Yoruba readers the world over.

Lagos-based indie press Ouida Books is publishing Ìgbà Èwe under their Tevani imprint on June 30. The cover art and illustrations included in the book are the brilliant work of Nigerian writer Yemisi Aribisala.

The collection shows the impressive range of Túbọ̀sún’s abilities as a translator. Acclaimed scholar of African literature Professor Karin Barber remarks that Túbọ̀sún’s translation “convey[s] the spirit of a lived world of experience grounded in the landscape, seasons and culture of Pennsylvania while bringing it into rapport with the imaginative resources of the Yorùbá poetic repertoire.”

Ngugi wa Thiong’o who advocates for the translation of books into African languages places Túbọ̀sún “among the young practical visionaries of New Africa.” Prof. Remi Raji of the University of Ibadan describes Ìgbà Èwe as an “exemplary art of cultural dialogue across languages.”

Buy Ìgbà Èwe: Amazon