Lokotown

Cyprian Eklwensi is the outstanding chronicler of Nigerian city life. In this collection of his short stories, all the excitement and urgency as well as the seediness and disillusion that make up the urban world of the Hotel France, the Harlem, Marine Beach and the Kano Limited are contained. Characters like Fussy Joe, Jagua, Nancy of the Grand Palm Hotel, Charlie the Coin-Diver and the Stranger from Lagos emerge and go their various ways, crushed or triumphant after their brush with the hard, bright city. This is a splendid collection of stories to read and treasure.