My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

Amos Tutuola

Overview

A young boy flees slave raiders and wanders into a parallel realm where ghosts of every shape and temperament rule the night. Across seven years he slips from one haunted village to another, learning the laws of the dead and searching for the path home. Tutuola layers Yoruba folklore into a fluid, dream-like narrative that dissolves the boundary between living and spirit worlds. The result is a slim, potent fable about identity, exile, and the power of storytelling itself.

Who it's for

• Readers of African magical realism and post-colonial fiction
• Those curious about Yoruba oral traditions retold in English
• Adults and older teens comfortable with allegory and non-linear tales

Key features

• Language: English
• First published 1954; available in multiple modern reprints
• Standalone novel, often paired with The Palm-Wine Drinkard
• Author: Amos Tutuola, Nigerian novelist writing in English