The Famished Road , Ben Okri's 1991 Booker Prize winning novel,

follows the wanderings of an abiku or spirit-child, a liminal figure

who hovers between the real world and the supernatural realm.

Azaro is a witness to the political and social upheavals of his soon-to-be

independent African country, and the relentless efforts of

his parents and neighbours to survive amidst poverty and hunger;

but he is also alert to the existence of a parallel world of supernatural

and grotesque creatures that is at once fascinating and

terrifying. This study seeks to capture the inflexions of Okri's

poetic prose as well as draw the contours of his imaginary homelands

populated by impoverished ghetto dwellers, greedy politicians,

mischievous spirits, but also enthralling storytellers and

idealistic characters who still believe it is possible to create new

routes beyond the famished road, to re-dream the world and make

it real.