J. Benibengor Blay

J. Benibengor Blay (born 1915) was a Ghanaian journalist, writer, publisher and politician, who has been called "the father of popular writing in Ghana".[1] His work encompasses fiction, poetry and drama published in chapbooks that have been compared with Onitsha Market Literature.[2]

Biography

Blay was born in Half Assini, Western Ghana, and educated at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London.[3] He began writing poetry in 1937, publishing stories from the early 1940s onwards.[4] Some of his work was published by his own publishing company, the Benibengor Book Agency, Aboso. In 1958 Blay was elected to the Ghanaian National Assembly, and later served as Minister for Art and Culture (1965–66)[5] under Kwame Nkrumah,[3] about whom he published a biography in 1973.

Works

Stories
Poetry
Other

References

  1. Albert S. Gérard, European-language Writing in Sub-Saharan Africa, Volume 2, 1986, p. 833.
  2. Abotsi, Maureen, "J. Benibengor Blay", Ghana Nation, 13 September 2013. From Douglas Killam and Ruth Rowe (eds), The Companion to African Literature (James Currey 2000).
  3. 1 2 G. D. Killam, Alicia L. Kerfoot, Student Encyclopedia of African Literature, Greenwood press, 2008, p. 68.
  4. Angmor, Charles (1996). Contemporary Literature in Ghana 1911-1978: A Critical Evaluation. Accra: Woeli Publishing Services. pp. 24–5. ISBN 9964-978-20-0.
  5. Africa Who's Who, London: Africa Journal for Africa Books Ltd, 1981, p. 230.
  6. The Story of Tata, "a very comprehensive account of the life of Mr. Joshua Kwabena Siaw ... one of Ghana's most prominent business men".

External links


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