Late 1960s: There are fewer than ten Nigerian novels published per year.

1980s: There are approximately fifty Nigerian novels published per year.

Today: There are approximately twenty Nigerian novels published per year.

Late 1960s: Civilian administration in Nigeria ends following two successive military coups d'etat.

1980s: General Ibrahim Babangida overthrows Major General Mohammed Butari, stating his intention to return Nigeria to civilian rule in the 1990s.

Today: The Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo issues a press statement about his unwillingness to accept any actions aimed at destabilizing his democratically elected presidential administration.

Late 1960s: Famous Nigerian poet Christopher Okigbo resigns from the Cambridge University Press and enlists as a major in the Biafran army.

1980s: Because of governmental changes in Nigeria, Okri's Nigerian-sponsored scholarship at the University of Essex ends. Okri leaves for London, where he is homeless before finding a flat in Seven Sisters...