Independent American publisher Grove Atlantic is set to publish a new edition of My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, the second novel by Nigerian author Amos Tutuola. Originally published in 1954, the book is one of the earliest works of African literature to gain international recognition. This new edition, which features a beautiful new cover and a foreword from Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar, will come out on June 17, 2025.

Amos Tutuola, born in 1920 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, was a pioneering figure in postcolonial African literature. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts tells the story of a young boy who, after being abducted by spirits, embarks on a surreal journey through a mysterious world filled with ghosts, gods, and strange creatures. This blend of Nigerian myth and modernist narrative made Tutuola’s work a key piece in the development of African storytelling, providing a bridge between traditional African oral storytelling and written literature.

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time, who praise it as “a striking work of syncretism, recontextualizing previously unrecorded west African mythology by imbuing it with symbols of what was at the time a new global modernity.”

This release reaffirms the book’s importance, highlighting Tutuola’s lasting legacy as a storyteller of global significance. Preorder a copy of the new edition here!