‘Why winning prizes is important to writers in Nigeria’

Godwin Cornelius Udagbor is author of ‘Bena’s Dream Come True’. In this interview, he talks about contesting for the Guarantee Trust Bank-organised 2018 Dusty Manuscript Contest, his writing journey and more. Excerpts:   Bookshelf: You were among the initial 25 in the running for the Dusty Manuscript Contest, of which three winners were selected. How […]

Godwin Cornelius Udagbor is author of ‘Bena’s Dream Come True’. In this interview, he talks about contesting for the Guarantee Trust Bank-organised 2018 Dusty Manuscript Contest, his writing journey and more. Excerpts:

 

Bookshelf: You were among the initial 25 in the running for the Dusty Manuscript Contest, of which three winners were selected. How did you receive the news?

Godwin Cornelius Udagbor: Being in the contest was awesome and amazing. It’s something I have looked forward to, so when I got the news, I was fulfilled as a writer. Because it’s one thing to have a talent, another to be appreciated and win prizes.

Bookshelf: How important would you say winning a contest is to a writer’s career?

Udagbor: Looking at it from the Nigerian context, writers don’t actually have a book market. So, they need publicity to get to the zenith of their career. The easiest way is through prizes. Chimamanda got to where she is today because of the prizes she has won in the literary world.

Bookshelf: What inspired ‘Cry of the Forest’ and what was it like working on it?

Udagbor: It’s an epic story. Wanted to bring into focus the ancient African societies and how they lived their lives. It looks at the place of polygamy in civilization.

I used to be a staff of Hapicom Print Production. While in the office, I wrote the story, ‘Cry of the Forest’, which I planned to enter for the Caine Prize. But I couldn’t meet up with the deadline. Then I learned about the Dusty Manuscript Contest. Subsequently, I hope to develop ‘Cry of the Forest’ into a novel.

Bookshelf: Your self-published your debut novel, ‘Bena’s Dream’ in 2014. How would you say you have developed as a writer since?

Udagbor:  It took me some years to get it published. Being an inexperienced writer at the time, there were so many errors and the storyline was disjointed. Editors have had to work on the book after that. But it still hasn’t gotten the attention my short story ‘Cry of the Forest’ has. I got a forward from an Indian professor recently and then the Dusty Manuscript Contest. Also, Okada Books has indicated interest in the book. It’s presently in electronic format. They are going to publish it in paperback and according to the letter sent to me, later in hard copy in collaboration with their international network of publishers.

Bookshelf: What are you working on at the moment?

Udagbor: I have a couple of manuscripts I am working on. One is ‘The Accidental Biochemist’ and the other ‘The Legacy of a Good Father’. I am also trying to get ‘Bena’s Dream Comes True’ traditionally published.