Of Wives, Talismans and the Dead is a collection of short stories by influential author, I.N.C. Aniebo. Written originally in the 1960s, these tales explore superstition, Westernisation, and the rising tensions of an unequal society in post-independent Nigeria.

'Now, dry your tears my child,' his father said gently. 'I am going to drive him, away. He will not disturb you again. Dead men should not wander in the land of the living.'

In the title story, 'Of Wives, Talismans and the Dead', eleven-year-old Ibe worries about embarrassing himself in front of his father, finding time to play hide and seek with his friends, and, most importantly, his impending marriage with a young girl named Egeolu.

Ibe's tender innocence is set against the gravity of death and marriage as I.N.C. Aniebo captures the enduring traditions of 1960s Nigeria from the perspective of a young boy.

Throughout the collection, Aniebo masterfully weaves together tales of exploitation, cultural change, and the desire to challenge authority. Of Wives, Talismans and the Dead is an outstanding illustration of classic Nigerian literature.

Edited by Willfried F. Feuser.

Ifeanyichukwu Ndubuisi Chikezie Aniebo, commonly known as I.N.C. Aniebo, is a novelist and short story writer born in 1939 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Aniebo attended Umuahia Government College alongside other prominent writers such as Chinua Achebe, Elechi Amadi, and Ken Saro-Wiwa before training as a military officer to fight for Biafra in the Nigerian Civil War.

His first short stories were published in magazines and journals, written under a pseudonym to avoid censorship. His writing primarily explores the abuses of power in society and the horrors of the Civil War.

Aniebo studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, before returning to Nigeria in 1979 to teach Creative Writing and Literature at the English Department of the University of Port Harcourt.