‘How poetry helped me write prose’
Jumoke Verissimo is known for her collections of poetry, ‘I Am Memory’ and ‘The Birth of Illusion.’ In 2019, her debut novel, ‘A Small Silence,’ was published by Cassava Republic. Here, she talks about her writing process, transitioning to prose, and more. Excerpts: At what point did you decide you needed to write a novel? […]
Jumoke Verissimo is known for her collections of poetry, ‘I Am Memory’ and ‘The Birth of Illusion.’ In 2019, her debut novel, ‘A Small Silence,’ was published by Cassava Republic. Here, she talks about her writing process, transitioning to prose, and more. Excerpts:
At what point did you decide you needed to write a novel?
I didn’t just decide to write a novel. It’s something I have always done and that interests me. I have written short stories. The truth is it’s when a thing is ready that it’s truly ready. It just happens that the novel is ready now. It’s been on for so long that my friends have been calling me Prof and Desire, the characters in the novel. They are so familiar with it because I talk to them about it while some of them read it. Even the first draft was published as a short story and it got good reviews. That was in 2009. So, it’s been a while. But when a story keeps telling you, “I want to be something more,” you have to keep writing. Interestingly, I was writing an entirely different piece before this one came.
I initially started ‘A Small Silence’ as a short story. At the time, it didn’t occur to me what it wanted to come out as. I went to a friend’s house and we got talking about different things, some of which was about trauma. When I got home, the question that came to mind was, “what does it mean to live the rest of one’s life in the dark?” I began to ponder on that and wasn’t sure what I wanted to write, whether it was a short story or a novel. The first draft was in the beginning, the first chapter of the book. Subsequently, it grew into a novel. So, eventually, when I was writing, I knew what I wanted to write about.
How long did it take to complete the work?
It’s difficult to say because I wrote in snatches. There was a time I took a break from writing like that and went to my brother’s house to concentrate on the novel. But subsequently, during the editing and all, I went back there to write that first draft. So that is why I am skeptical about when I wrote the novel. But there is also the fact that I had written other parts and scenes. So, it’s difficult to say this is the time it took to complete it. I didn’t go to any residency to get it done. For me it’s just difficult to up and leave for a residency because of my child. That is why I recommend that no matter what, write 200 words a day and you will be surprised with what you eventually come up with.
How did the characters ‘Prof and Desire’ come to you, and what inspired these names?
Prof’s full name is Professor Eniolorunda and Desire’s is Desire Babangida. There was a part in the book where she tried to explain to Prof that she was not related to the former president and narrates how she got her name. Their names are the way they are because they are characters and exist in a book. No one will call them by their full names. So, calling them by their shortened name form makes them more approachable and their story more realistic. So, there is that sense of familiarity that comes with that. When the characters come to you, you tend to make friends with them, and you do this on a personal basis.
I borrowed Prof’s characteristics from everyone I know who has gone to prison. I also did some research on what they exhibit, particularly the trauma they go through and how it would manifest in the Nigerian context. I wanted to write a story on someone I didn’t know about. When it comes to Desire’s character, there are so many people you see on buses who are angry for no reason. There are also those you meet who are just lost even when it seems there is nothing wrong with them. So, I wanted to understand these people and what causes them to be angry and lost.
Why did you decide to explore what happened in Nigeria on June 12 1993 in the novel?
The book is not exactly about June 12, which is crucial in our history. It’s primarily about intimacy, the margins and unspoken parts of our lives. But we can’t speak outside the context that creates it. It’s one of the most phenomenal political events in our lives. During that era, a lot of our politicians and activists became themselves or lost themselves. But that is not the focus of my story. It focuses on the unspoken part of their lives, the trauma they face and the margins of being heroic.
In what way did June 12 influence the making of your central character, Prof?
It didn’t exactly. But like I said, it’s difficult to talk about activism, advocacy in Nigeria, and the turnaround of the Nigerian political system without mentioning June 12. Whatever Obasanjo enjoyed during his tenure, it was because people stood up to fight. Whatever form of democracy we have now was because at some point some people asked questions. Even though some of those questions weren’t answered, even though some people didn’t believe in that voice and even though it didn’t make any meaning, it still made a difference. It’s just like how slavery continues to resonate in the African American story. You can’t remove it, it’s as essential. If we didn’t have a June 12, we did have a significant fight for our independence. The trauma has been gathering momentum until June 12 came, and when it did, it was as something we weren’t familiar with. People stood up to fight the normalcy of the trauma we have been through. The import of capturing Prof in June 12 was not because I want to tell you that story but because I want to bring attention to how we immersed ourselves in the trauma and not how we dealt with it.
How would you say being a poet has influenced your novel?
You can’t really leave poetry alone, but we also know that I’m telling a story. I have been in a fiction workshop and have done a lot of reading. I read widely. Someone said I am probably the first poet she knows whose novel is readable. She was wondering how I transitioned so easily.
I have worked as a copyrighter, write academic papers and deal with different kinds of writings. I have also worked as a journalist and have written reviews. So, I would say the most difficult writing for me was transitioning into academic writing. But I find it easy now. When writing an academic paper, it’s important to know the language. If you are going to be writing in a field for a span of time, you read in that field. Academic writing is easier than fiction for me. But I can’t write that and poetry at the same time because they seem similar. They are investigating, exploring and prodding things. But for fiction I’m telling a story which is similar to me conversing with someone. The only difference is I’m bringing technicalities to how these stories will be told in a way that people can listen to it when they read it as against having a face to face conversation.
For me, the advantage of being a poet is that I have an understanding as to how language works and what it can do. So, when I do write a story, I go back during the editing process and say “I don’t feel the emotion here. I don’t feel the question of the character,” because what poetry allows you do is to say so much in a few words. I had a session with Ade Bantu at Ake Arts and Book Festival in 2019 where he said the book is so small but I seem to be saying so much. It’s poetry that allows you do that. You capture words and use those that meet the target. You are not just telling a story. In poetry, even if it’s not the narrative type, you find that narrate ambience, characterization and setting even though you are not telling a story. So, that is what I borrow from poetry, that sense of translating the unspeakable.
What are you working on at the moment?
I feel good about what I am working on but I am also very superstitious. There is a novel and a two-book deal in the works. I also have a collection of poems. The thing about me is it is not about having it written down; the problem is usually me working it to the point where I am ready to release it. So, if I am not confident I have the poem or story I want I will not release it. When I eventually release it and people have things to say about it, as long as I have made peace with myself, I don’t care. I have something I am working on but I am not ready to release it.