Gabriel Okara se erige como una de las figuras literarias más significativas de Nigeria, célebre por su evocadora poesía y sus cautivadoras novelas. Sus obras poéticas, ampliamente difundidas a través de la destacada revista africana The Black Orpheus, impactaron profundamente a los lectores. Más allá de sus contribuciones literarias, Okara también fundó The Nigerian Tide, estableciendo una voz importante en los medios. Su escritura consolidó su legado como una fuerza fundamental tanto en el panorama literario nigeriano como en el africano.
Focusing on rural life in Rivers State, Nigeria, this adventure tale features two young protagonists on Juju Island who uncover the nefarious activities of Indian hemp smugglers. Their courageous decision to report the criminals leads to a dramatic confrontation with the law. Through their journey, the narrative imparts a moral lesson, highlighting themes of bravery and justice in the face of wrongdoing.
Arranged in six sections, Gabriel Okara: Collected Poems includes the poet's earliest lyric verse along with poems written in response to Nigeria's war years; literary tributes and elegies to fellow poets, activists, and loved ones long dead; and recent dramatic and narrative poems. The introduction by Brenda Marie Osbey contextualizes Okara's work in the history of Nigerian, African, and English language literatures