Ghanaian journalist, writer, publisher and politician
John Benibengor Blay (born 1915) was a Ghanaian journalist, writer, publisher and politician, who has been called "the father of popular writing in Ghana".[1] His work encompasses fiction, poetry and drama published in chapbooks that have been compared with Onitsha Market Literature.[2]
He began writing poetry in 1937, publishing stories from the early 1940s onwards.[4] Some of his work was published by his own publishing company, the Benibengor Book Agency, Aboso.
He later became a politician,[5] and in 1958 Blay was elected to the Ghanaian National Assembly. He later served as Minister for Art and Culture (1965–66)[6] under Kwame Nkrumah,[3] about whom he published a biography in 1973.
Works
Stories
Emelia's Promise, 1944
Be Content with Your Lot, 1947
Parted Lovers, 1948
Dr Bengto Wants a Wife, 1953
Operation Witchcraft, 1956
Tales for Boys and Girls, 1966
After the Wedding (continuation of Emelia's Promise)
Emelia's Promise and Fulfilment, Accra: Waterville Publishing House, 1967
Alomo, Aboso, 1969
Coconut Boy, Accra: West African Publishing Company, 1970
1 2 G. D. Killam, Alicia L. Kerfoot, Student Encyclopedia of African Literature, Greenwood press, 2008, p. 68.
↑ Angmor, Charles (1996). Contemporary Literature in Ghana 1911-1978: A Critical Evaluation. Accra: Woeli Publishing Services. pp.24–5. ISBN9964-978-20-0.
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