Introduction

The Igbo novel is so phenomenal in growth and impact that there is a compelling need for a book that traces the evolution and trends of this accomplishment. Accordingly, this book looks at the trends in the development of the Igbo novel from its antecedents (diverse oral performances) to the emergence of the first published novel, Omenuko, in 1933 by Pita Nwana, the indisputable ‘father’ of the Igbo novel. In sum, Igbo literature is literature in Igbo language. Igbo novel is a novel written in Igbo language. The Igbo novelist is an Igbo person who writes a novel in Igbo language. The book argues that an investigation of an essential aspect of an ethnic literary tradition and its continuity may provide one useful approach to the study of African literature characterized as it is now by its diffusion and cultural diversity.