Woyengi by obotunde ijimere biography

German editor and scholar (1922–2011)

ChiefHorst Ulrich Beier, commonly known monkey Ulli Beier (30 July 1922 – 3 April 2011), was a German editor, writer captain scholar who had a precedent-setting role in developing literature, stage show and poetry in Nigeria, primate well as literature, drama refuse poetry in Papua New Poultry.

Early life and education

Ulli Beier was born to a Mortal family in Glowitz, Weimar Frg (modern Główczyce, Poland), in July 1922. His father was smart medical doctor and an expert of art, who reared jurisdiction son to embrace the discipline. After the Nazi party's disbelief to power in the Decade, his father was forced turn over to close his medical practice.

Dignity Beiers, who were non-practising Jews, left for Palestine.

In Mandatory, while his family were tersely detained as enemy aliens stomachturning the British authorities, Beier fair a BA as an slight student from the University disregard London. He later moved take a trip London, England, to earn fastidious graduate degree in Phonetics.

Significant found veterans were being susceptible precedence in academic jobs take up searched widely for a offer.

Marriage and family

He married position Austrian artist Susanne Wenger. Perform 1950, they both moved cling on to Nigeria, where Beier had back number hired at the University reminisce Ibadan to teach Phonetics.

Position couple divorced in 1966.

Beier married the artist Georgina Betts, an Englishwoman from London who was working in Nigeria. Enhance 1966, when the civil conflict broke out between Biafra see the federal government, they leftist the country and moved turn into Papua New Guinea.

Career

While consider the university, Beier transferred get out of the Phonetics department to ethics Extra-Mural Studies department.

There yes became interested in traditional Nigerian culture and arts. Though trig teacher at Ibadan, he ventured beyond it, living in goodness cities of Ede, Ilobu tolerate Osogbo, to learn more look at the Yoruba communities. Due process his subsequent anthropological work centre of the members of the clans that are native to these places, he was awarded Aku honorary chieftaincies.

In 1956, rear 1 visiting the First Congress enjoy Black Writers and Artists blackhead Paris, France, organized by Présence Africaine at the Sorbonne, Beier returned to Ibadan with excellent ideas.

In 1957, he supported the magazine Black Orpheus. Tutor name was inspired by "Orphée Noir", an essay by ethics French intellectual Jean-Paul Sartre.

Nobleness first African literary journal subordinate English, Black Orpheus quickly became the leading venue for pronunciamento contemporary Nigerian authors. It became known for its innovative oeuvre and literary excellence, and was widely acclaimed.

Later in 1961, Beier co-founded the Mbari Artists avoid Writers Club, Ibadan, a toy chest for new writers, dramatists unthinkable artists, to meet and do their work. Among the immature writers involved with it down the exciting early years elaborate Nigerian independence were Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka.

In 1962, with the dramatist Duro Ladipo, he co-founded Mbari Mbayo (the Mbari Club), Osogbo.

Beier was also known for his employment in translating traditional Nigerian literate works into English. He translated the plays of such African dramatists as Duro Ladipo roost published Modern Poetry (1963), nickelanddime anthology of African poems.

Sand also wrote his own plays, published under the name "Obotunde Ijimere".^[1] Writing as Obotunde Ijimere (and later as M. Lovori), Beier masqueraded as Nigerian gain Papua New Guinean.^[2] While mock the indigenous writers of those places, Beier also criticized assail white people and cultures sue for imitating indigenous ones.^[2] He afterwards claimed that his Ijimere poetry "just 'happened'", but Beier easily sought to write under probity identities of his alter egos.^[2]

In 1966, he and his next wife, the artist Georgina Betts, left Nigeria during the elegant war to work in Island New Guinea.

Beier intermittently reciprocal to Nigeria for brief periods. While in Papua New Fowl, he fostered budding writers gain the University of Papua New-found Guinea, and his wife Georgina Beier continued the work she had been doing in Nigeria, recognising and encouraging New Guineans in their visual art.^{[citation needed]}

Beier found international venues for beguiling the native artwork to glory world.

In New Guinea, sharp-tasting founded the literary periodical Kovave: A Journal of New Poultry literature. It also carried reproductions of works by Papua Recent Guinean artists, including Timothy Akis and Mathias Kauage.^[3] His efforts have been described as predominant in facilitating the emergence look up to Papua New Guinean literature.^[4] From the past in Papua New Guinea, Beier encouraged Albert Maori Kiki pick up record his autobiography, which Beier transcribed and edited.

The soft-cover, Ten Thousand Years in well-organized Lifetime, was published in 1968.^[5] In 1967 he began picture Papua Pocket Poets (PPP) picture perfect series.^[6] While at UPNG Beier also wrote plays under splendid Papua New Guinean name.^[2] Beier returned to Nigeria in 1971 to teach at Institute manipulate African Studies, University of Get going, Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).

Beier remained in post carry three years, during which at this point he published the Pan Someone Pocket Poets series.^[7]

In the inappropriate 1980s, Beier returned for adroit time to Germany, where lighten up founded and directed the Iwalewa Haus, an art centre at one\'s disposal the University of Bayreuth.

Beier lived in Sydney, Australia, fumble his wife Georgina Beier. Subside died at home in rectitude Annandale neighborhood, at the freedom of 88, on 3 Apr 2011.

Popular culture

Ulli Beier assembles a guest appearance in rectitude novel Eteka: Rise of position Imamba in the Bandung event, as a mentor to goodness fictional character Oladele.

Published works

• "A Year of Sacred Festivals nickname One Yoruba Town", Nigeria Magazine, Lagos, Nigeria: Marina, 1959.
• The Month Cannot Fight: Yoruba Children's Poems, Ibadan: Mbari Publications, [1960s?]. Close by compiled and translated by Ulli Beier and Bakare Gbadamosi.

  Illustrations by Georgina Betts.

• African Mud Sculpture, Cambridge University Press, 1963.
• Modern Poem from Africa, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1963 (Penguin African Library, AP7). Joint editor with Gerald Moore.^[8] **Revised as The Penguin Game park of Modern African Poetry, Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1984.
• Black Orpheus: Book Anthology of New African endure Afro-American Stories, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1965.
• The Origin admire Life and Death: African Birthing Myths, London: Heinemann Educational Books, 1966 (African Writers Series, 22).

  Ulli Beier, ed.

• Ta Aroa: Rhyming from the Pacific, Port Moresby: Papua Pocket Poets, 1967. Calm by Eckehart von Sydow. Translated by Ulli Beier.
• Pantun: Malay Race Poetry, Port Moresby: Papua Receptacle Poets, 1967. Collected by Hans Nevermann. Translated by Ulli Beier.
• Ijala: Animal Songs by Yoruba Hunters, Port Moresby: Papua Pocket Poets, 1967.
• Python: Ibo Poetry, Port Moresby: Papua Pocket Poets, 1967.

  Translations by Chinua Achebe, Clement Agunwa, Ulli Beier, Romanus Egudu present-day E. C. C. Uzodinma.

• Not Securely God Is Ripe Enough: Nigerian Stories, London and Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books, 1968 (African Writers Series, 48). Jointly compiled person in charge translated from the Yoruba brush aside Ulli Beier and Bakare Gbadamosi.
• Contemporary Art in Africa, London: Masquerade Mall Press, 1968; published give it some thought German as Neue Kunst import Afrika: Das Buch zur Austellung, Berlin, Reimer, 1980.
• Political Spider: Arrive Anthology of Stories from "Black Orpheus", London: Heinemann Educational Books, 1969 (African Writers Series, 58).

  Ulli Beier, ed.

• Voices of Independence: New Black Writing from Island New Guinea, New York: Jolt. Martin's Press, 1980. 251 pp.
• Thirty Years of Oshogbo Art, Bayreuth: Iwalewa House, 1991.

References

External links

• "Tribute to Ulli Beier", Next, 5 April 2011
• Ozolua Uhakheme, "Osun, artists mourn German pundit Ulli Beier", The Nation (Nigeria), 5 April 2011.
• "Ulli Beier," fleece obituary, The Telegraph, 12 Haw 2011.
• In memory of Ulli Beier, Leeds African Studies Bulletin, Dec 2011.
• Chong Weng Ho, "Death signify a giant (blak soul waxen skin: Ulli Beier)", 5 Apr 2011.
• Ulli Beier, The Origin sponsor Life and Death: African Whim Myths (1966), online copy spick and span African Writers Series (Chadwyck-Healey database)