Don't Pay Bad for Bad

“I first discovered the worlds of Amos Tutuola deep in the African Literature section of Michigan State University’s library. I haven’t been the same since. His stories utterly threw me off. They were Yoruba folktales woven into indigenous quirky Nigerian fantasy. Tutuola’s work is under-celebrated, overwhelming, deliciously mad and many times just plain hilarious. In his worlds, Death isn’t even safe from misfortune. His tales are both local and universal. If you are a fan of speculative literature, Don’t Pay Bad for Bad is required reading.” – World Fantasy Award winner Nnedi Okorafor

Don't Pay Bad for Bad includes selected out-of-print, rare, and never-before-published fiction by the iconic Nigerian author. Amos Tutuola (1920 - 1997) was a largely self-taught Nigerian writer who became internationally praised for books based in part on Yoruba folktales, especially the phantasmagorical The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952). Welsh poet Dylan Thomas called Tutuola's work “thronged, grisly and bewitching,” bringing it even more attention. This edition features an extensive introductory essay on Tutuola by his son Yinka Tutuola, an afterword by Matthew Cheney, and a bibliography. The collection has been praised by Nigerian-born writer Nnedi Okorafor.