THE LAST GOOD BOOK I READ…Writer and poet, Gimba Kakanda: The Cheapest Night by Yusuf Idris

Gimba Kakanda, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection, ‘Safari Pants,’ describes ‘The Cheapest Night’ as a fantastic book. He first encountered it in his childhood and the feeling he had when he read it this time was that of nostalgia. “It delves into human psychology and is a masterpiece of realism,” he offers, adding […]

Gimba Kakanda, author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection, ‘Safari Pants,’ describes ‘The Cheapest Night’ as a fantastic book. He first encountered it in his childhood and the feeling he had when he read it this time was that of nostalgia. “It delves into human psychology and is a masterpiece of realism,” he offers, adding that it portrays the human life the way it is without romantic colouration or an attempt to show a perfect life and a perfect ending.
“I love short stories and this writer remains my best short story writer ever,” Kakanda says. He adds that Idris, who is an Egyptian, captured the sentimentality of the Egyptian Muslim.
One thing that Kakanda especially liked about the writer is that, “unlike some Arabs that have some sort of sex censorship, he explores sexuality without restraint.” He said that unfortunately some Nigerian northern writers see themselves first as moralists and then artists. But, “an artist has to be realistic,” he emphasises, “it’s either you want to be an artist or a preacher. You can explore the theme of sexuality without being vulgar.”