Pita Nwana

Omenuko Pita Nwana

Omen?k? (real name: Igwegbe Odum) whose home in Okigwe, Eastern Nigeria, was a popular spot for field trips by students in schools and colleges, as well as a favourite attraction for tourists in the decades before and after the Nigerian Independence in 1960. Generations of Igbo children began their reading in Igbo with Omen?k?, and those who did not have the opportunity to go to school still read Omen?k? in their homes or at adult education centers. Omen?k? was a legendary figure and his 'sayings' became part of the Igbo speech repertoire that young adults were expected to acquire. Omen?k?, a classic in Igbo Literature, written by Pita Nwana and published in 1933 by Longman, Green & Co, Ltd, London, is in this translation made accessible to a global audience. Emenyonu utilizes his mastery of both languages (Igbo and English) to faithfully present to his audience a complete rendition of Omen?k? as originally written. The timeless significance of this novel as a progenitor of the Igbo language novel is again underscored.