Christopher Okigbo is widely regarded as one of the most important postcolonial poets and modernist writers of the 20th century.

He began his studies at the University of Ibadan in medicine but later switched to classics, a shift that profoundly shaped his literary voice. A gifted pianist and active member of the Mbari literary club, he was part of a generation that redefined African literature in English.

His major works, including Heavensgate (1962), Limits (1964), Silences, and Labyrinths with Path of Thunder (1971), reflect his fusion of indigenous spirituality, modernist form, and political urgency.