Month: January 2026

Our Best Essays and Reviews of 2025

We also changed our ownership structure: thelagosreview.ng is now owned and published by The Literary Review of Writers Association, a not-for-profit organisation.

Our giant strides and continuing impact as a premier literary publication in Africa is all thanks to you: our staff, our writers, our cheer leaders and supporters.

Obinna Udenweʼs “Years of Shame” Is An Ambitious Epic of Tragedy, History & Culture – Sima Essien

From the outset, the novel establishes the dreadful gravity of this decision. On page 39, an elder observes, “When the gods want to bring down a man’s house, they set in motion a chain of events that lead to his downfall.” Yet as the narrative unfolds, Patrice emerges not merely as a victim of metaphysical forces, but of rigid standards of masculinity that leave him unable to retreat without feeling emasculated. To admit fault, in his mind, would be to embrace weakness.