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The Last Duty
Isidore Okpewho’s novel, The Last Duty, offers a profound narrative of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), focusing specifically on the harrowing experiences of the Urhobo people. Set in the Urhobo-speaking area of the Mid-Western region, the work is a seminal text for capturing the double-tiered, hapless situation of minorities in the western Delta.[1] These communities were caught between the federal forces of Nigeria and the secessionist forces of Biafra, belonging fully to neither side and suffering immensely from both.
Publication History
The Last Duty was first published in 1976 by Longman Group Limited as part of the influential Drumbeat series. The novel was republished in a digital format in 2009, ensuring its continued accessibility and relevance for a new generation of readers and scholars.
Reception and Critical Acclaim
The novel has been lauded by critics for its sophisticated narrative technique and its poignant humanization of war. Eminent scholar Eustace Palmer places it among the most important works in African literature, arguing that Okpewho is "possibly the most interesting of all the Nigerian novelists who have written about the Biafran war." Palmer's assessment continues:
"His remarkable novel, The Last Duty, deserves much greater attention than it has hitherto received. This is one of the most accomplished African novels to date, a work which surely deserves a place in the front rank with Things Fall Apart, The Interpreters, A Grain of Wheat, The Radiance of the King and The Joys of Motherhood"[2]
This high praise underscores the novel's artistic achievement and its vital contribution to the literary canon on the Nigerian Civil War.
References
- ^ Okpewho, Isidore (1976). The Last Duty. Longman.
- ^ Palmer, Eustace (1993-01-01). "Isidore Okpewho's The Last Duty". International Fiction Review. ISSN 1911-186X.