Onitsha tells the story of Fintan, a youth who travels to Africa in 1948 with his Italian mother to join the English father he has never met. Fintan is initially enchanted by the exotic world he discovers in Onitsha, a bustling city prominently situated on the eastern bank of the Niger River. But gradually he comes to recognize the intolerance and brutality of the colonial system. His youthful point of view provides the novel with a notably direct, horrified perspective on racism and colonialism. In the words of translator Alison Anderson, Onitsha is remarkable for its almost mythological evocation of local history and beliefs. It is full of atmosphere sights, sounds, smells and at times the author s sentences seem to flow with the dreamy languor of the river itself. But J. M. G. Le Clézio never lets us forget the harsh realities of life nor the subsequent tragedy of war. A startling account and indictment of colonialism, Onitsha is also a work of clear, forthright prose that ably portrays both colonial Nigeria and a young boy s growing outrage.

勒剋萊齊奧，一九四○年生於法國尼斯，一九六三年齣版第一部小說《訴訟筆錄》，並獲得勒諾多文學奬。至今已齣版四十多部作品，包括小說，隨筆，翻譯等。一九八。年，勒剋萊齊奧以小說《沙漠》獲得保爾·莫朗文學奬。一九九四年，他在法國《讀書》雜誌一次讀者調查中，被評選為當代最偉大的法語作傢之一。

二○○八年，勒剋萊齊奧榮獲諾貝爾文學奬。