The Forger’s Tale

The Search for Odeziaku

Nonfiction, History, Modern, 19th Century, Africa, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Gender Studies
Cover of the book The Forger’s Tale by Stephanie Newell, Ohio University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stephanie Newell ISBN: 9780821442302
Publisher: Ohio University Press Publication: November 1, 2006
Imprint: Ohio University Press Language: English
Author: Stephanie Newell
ISBN: 9780821442302
Publisher: Ohio University Press
Publication: November 1, 2006
Imprint: Ohio University Press
Language: English

Between 1905 and 1939 a conspicuously tall white man with a shock of red hair, dressed in a silk shirt and white linen trousers, could be seen on the streets of Onitsha, in Eastern Nigeria. How was it possible for an unconventional, boy-loving Englishman to gain a social status among the local populace enjoyed by few other Europeans in colonial West Africa?

In The Forger's Tale: The Search for Odeziaku Stephanie Newell charts the story of the English novelist and poet John Moray Stuart-Young (1881-1939) as he traveled from the slums of Manchester to West Africa in order to escape the homophobic prejudices of late-Victorian society. Leaving behind a criminal record for forgery and embezzlement and his notoriety as a “spirit rapper,” Stuart-Young found a new identity as a wealthy palm oil trader and a celebrated author, known to Nigerians as “Odeziaku.”

In this fascinating biographical account, Newell draws on queer theory, African gender debates, and “new imperial history” to open up a wider study of imperialism, (homo)sexuality, and nonelite culture between the 1880s and the late 1930s. The Forger's Tale pays close attention to different forms of West African cultural production in the colonial period and to public debates about sexuality and ethics, as well as to movements in mainstream English literature.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Between 1905 and 1939 a conspicuously tall white man with a shock of red hair, dressed in a silk shirt and white linen trousers, could be seen on the streets of Onitsha, in Eastern Nigeria. How was it possible for an unconventional, boy-loving Englishman to gain a social status among the local populace enjoyed by few other Europeans in colonial West Africa?

In The Forger's Tale: The Search for Odeziaku Stephanie Newell charts the story of the English novelist and poet John Moray Stuart-Young (1881-1939) as he traveled from the slums of Manchester to West Africa in order to escape the homophobic prejudices of late-Victorian society. Leaving behind a criminal record for forgery and embezzlement and his notoriety as a “spirit rapper,” Stuart-Young found a new identity as a wealthy palm oil trader and a celebrated author, known to Nigerians as “Odeziaku.”

In this fascinating biographical account, Newell draws on queer theory, African gender debates, and “new imperial history” to open up a wider study of imperialism, (homo)sexuality, and nonelite culture between the 1880s and the late 1930s. The Forger's Tale pays close attention to different forms of West African cultural production in the colonial period and to public debates about sexuality and ethics, as well as to movements in mainstream English literature.

More books from Ohio University Press

Cover of the book Nation of Outlaws, State of Violence by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book In Idi Amin’s Shadow by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Violence by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book June in Eden by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Virginia Hamilton by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book A Conversation about Ohio University and the Presidency, 1975–1994 by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Conflict Zone, Comfort Zone by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book From Jail to Jail by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Cartography and the Political Imagination by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Precarious Rhetorics by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book A Trick of Sunlight by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Victorian Dogs, Victorian Men by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Love’s Long Line by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Penumbra by Stephanie Newell
Cover of the book Football and Colonialism by Stephanie Newell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy