Bardolatry and the Creative Space: The Example of Niyi Osundare and Akeem Lasisi

Abstract

The question of "Influence" is one that dates back to ancient classical times and one
which has engaged both creative and critical writers and scholars down the ages. In
his influential study entitled The Anxiety of Influence: A Theory of Poetry, Harold
Bloom thoroughly investigates the concept, arguing the inescapability of "Influence"
in the creative process as well as in the critical enterprise. Basing our argument on
Bloom's theory, we examine the relationship between Osundare's verse and Akeem
Lasisi's poetry and conclude that the one influenced the other in spite of the fact that
both poets hail from Yorubaland.