A bitter yet funny satire... probably the best book to come out of West Africa.'

Anthony Burgess "The Founding Father of the African novel in English.

As Minister for Culture, former school teacher M. A. Nanga is a man of the people, as cynical as he is charming, and a roguish opportunist.

When Odili, an idealistic young teacher, visits his former instructor at the ministry, the division between them is vast.

But in the eat-and-let-eat atmosphere, Odili's idealism soon collides with his lusts—and the two men's personal and political tauntings threaten to send their country into chaos. When Odili launches a vicious campaign against his former mentor for the same seat in an election, their mutual animosity drives the country to revolution.