Nothing he writes will probably ever satisfy Amos Tutuola's readers as much as his first novel, "The Palm-Wine Drinkard." At the time of its publication in 1952, there were so few other novelists from tropical Africa that many readers assumed that Mr. Tutuola's unique style would be representative of future writing from the continent. That belief quickly passed away. Africa has never produced another writer quite like Mr. Tutuola, though his own subsequent works have often read as if they were imitations of "The Palm-Wine Drinkard." Even his English—initially referred to as "basic," "pidgin" or even "primitive"—has become increasingly close to standard.

Yet the outstanding quality of Mr. Tutuola's work—the brilliance of the oral tradition—still remains. All of his writing is nourished by the Yoruba (Nigerian) art of storytelling, layered with both mythic and psychological implications. (p. 8)

"The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town" is Mr...