Writing is a hard and lonely business – EC OSondu
These stories attempt to map the impact of a ‘new’ or ‘different’ ecology on the individual. What Nathaniel Hawthorne calls ‘unaccustomed earth’ How does living in Nigeria change the American and how does living in America change the Nigerian. This collection is also interested in examining “inbetweeness,” that uncharted territory where the individual finds himself […]
These stories attempt to map the impact of a ‘new’ or ‘different’ ecology on the individual. What Nathaniel Hawthorne calls ‘unaccustomed earth’ How does living in Nigeria change the American and how does living in America change the Nigerian. This collection is also interested in examining “inbetweeness,” that uncharted territory where the individual finds himself as an outsider in America yet no longer at ease in his country of origin.
How did it feel getting a major publisher for this work?
It is gratifying that the work made the transition from manuscript to book—that in itself is a giant leap. That being said, publishing with HarperCollins has been very fulfilling because of their professionalism. Working with my editor Tim Duggan who showed an understanding of my project from day one and whose editorial suggestions indicated that he had an insight into what I was trying to do and was going to help midwife it was great as well.
Should we be looking forward to a Nigerian edition or is there a special arrangement by HarperCollins to make copies available in Nigeria?
Farafina is bringing out the Nigerian/West African edition later this year and I believe they are putting together a reading tour to promote it. I am looking forward very much to that.
So you plan to have readings in Nigeria then?
As soon as Farafina brings out the book this year you can bet I’ll be on ground to give readings and do book signings in Nigeria.
Voice of America has been on the shelves since November; how well do you think it has been received?
It has been very well received and this is ongoing. With reviews in the New York Times, Elle, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, The Times of London, AOL Black Voices and many book blogs.
You are now based in the US; how has that affected your writing thematically?
I have always been a little bemused by the question of geographical location and themes. I doubt that the major Science Fiction writers like Isaac Asimov and Arthur Clark ever went to outer space. They were located here firmly on earth and yet they wrote those enchanting space odysseys. Nigeria and Africa will always be at the heart of whatever I write no matter where I am.
But it must be different writing over there; how different is it really?
Writing is a hard and lonely business anywhere in the world. There are more opportunities in the U.S. in terms of representation, publishing outlets, literary journals, book publishers and major distribution opportunities. The media is still somewhat interested in books and writing for the most part, still it is a hard business.
Next year, HarperCollins will be publishing you first novel, This House is not for Sale. Can you tell us more about it?
It is about a fictional house in Nigeria and its larger than life inhabitants.
Interesting! Winning the Caine must have come with its weight of expectations; do you feel smothered by these expectations?
On the contrary I think winning the Caine Prize freed me up. Of course it gives one a bigger platform but hey that is a good thing
Nigerian literature is gradually emerging as distinct from the general categorisation of African literature. How do you feel about this growth?
In what ways? I do not know if I share this view. First let us be clear about one thing-All literatures are connected, they are in conversation with what has gone before them and with what is coming behind. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is in conversation with Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and with Yeats to some extent, just as Ginsberg is in conversation with Walt Whitman’s, so is Soyinka in conversation with Fagunwa and the oral Ijala poets. Mandela describes Achebe as the writer who brought down the prison walls. Why do we want to atomize African literature? Sadly, we live in an age and time when due to ignorance certain writers no longer wish to be known as African writers as for me, the label African writer is a badge I’ll wear proudly any day.