Literature
- I Wrote My First Novel At 16
Adelakun Adunni Abimbola, winner of the 2010 edition of the Literary Journalist of the Year, awarded by the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, is a graduate of the University of Ibadan, with B.A and M.A from the Department of Communication and Language...
- Literature Is More Than Just Entertainment
SAKA ALIYU, an Assistant Lecturer with Bayero University Kano, BUK, holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto, (1998) and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Ilorin (2006). After working variously as...
- The Challenges Of Writing In Igbo Language (interview)
NNW: Let?s have your brief biography. Emmanuel Ugokwe: I was born in a village in Imo State Nigeria. My father was formerly a teacher and so my mother. I came on the down line in a large family of nine. After receiving my primary education at a local...
- Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike - 'things Fall Apart Inspired Me' (interview)
VINCENT CHUKWUEMEKA IKE, one of the foremost Nigerian writers, has produced more novels than many of his contemporaries. He set out on his literary journey in 1965 with the publication of his novel, Toads for Supper and today he has over a dozen publications...
- Chimamanda: ?to Write Fiction Is To Try To Make Sense Of The World? (interview)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer based in the US, is fast becoming a house-hold name not only in Nigeria but globally. Her works, especially the novel, Purple Hibiscus, has won many awards including the 2005 Commonwealth Writers? Prize for...
Literature
Love is a free gift ? Uzoh
Gertrude Uzoh, a graduate of Computer Science from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has just published her first novel, One Love, Many Tears, (accessible on www.onelovemanytears.com) and in this interview with SUMAILA UMAISHA she speak about the book and her writing career.
When did you start writing?
I started writing from primary school. As I think back now, I remember how in those days I used to role play a lot. Sometimes I would even play the role of a teacher teaching my peers in class, giving them class work, which they would submit to me, as if in real classroom, and I would mark and score them as the "teacher". Later on in my university days I developed interest in poetry writing. Then, even up till now, I could just write a poem and give a friend as gift, dedicating it to them. Then eventually, I picked out one of my old stories, which dates back to 1998 (that was when I finished my Junior Secondary); I dusted and expanded it into the novel, One Love, Many Tears.
What were the major factors that motivated you into writing?
I see things; I observe my environs, meet people, study characters. Then I make something good out of it all through writing. Or maybe, I should say the main inspiration comes with the fact that I am a very expressive person, and writing is one of my easiest ways of expressing myself.
What is your novel, One Love, Many Tears, all about?
It is set in the contemporary times. The major themes are murder, greed, hatred, hypocrisy, cultural sadism, inferiority complex, lack of proper self identity, etc. There are also themes of love, self-esteem, and more.
Why did you not base it in the past as Achebe did in his novel, Things Fall Apart?
It is not based in the past like Achebe?s Things Fall Apart. But there are references to the past in the novel, especially when I was trying to generate a perfect genealogy for the unique characters used. There are scenes of our contemporary cities in the novel. The story line actually encompasses many cultures and pictures from other countries of the world. At least the United Kingdom and India played home to some major scenes in the novel. Even France and Italy were key scenes in the novel, because there is a very strong character in the person of Father Phoebus, who is of a French-Italian origin.
The major themes of the novel are murder, greed, avarice and hatred. Why did you dwell on this kind of dark aspects?
You would notice the novel has a collection of both what you call "dark aspects" as well as "bright aspects? or themes. Yes, it is an expansive collection of hatred, greed, murder, apathy, poverty, and hypocrisy; but it is also a symphony of love, refinement, power, self-identity, passion, and altruism.
What message are you trying to convey to your readers concerning love?
Love is a free gift, always there for the taking. Sometimes, the road to love could be crooked, broken, or even apparently non-existent. But my message for all times, especially through this novel, is that love remains and lives. It is always and forever around and available, despite what obstacles, mirages or setbacks one might encounter in the inevitable desire for pure love.
What is your experience in writing and publishing the book?
It is altogether a very worthwhile experience of my life. Writing and getting my manuscript published is very enlightening. I came across many people, and I learnt a lot from them.- I Wrote My First Novel At 16
Adelakun Adunni Abimbola, winner of the 2010 edition of the Literary Journalist of the Year, awarded by the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, is a graduate of the University of Ibadan, with B.A and M.A from the Department of Communication and Language...
- Literature Is More Than Just Entertainment
SAKA ALIYU, an Assistant Lecturer with Bayero University Kano, BUK, holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto, (1998) and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Ilorin (2006). After working variously as...
- The Challenges Of Writing In Igbo Language (interview)
NNW: Let?s have your brief biography. Emmanuel Ugokwe: I was born in a village in Imo State Nigeria. My father was formerly a teacher and so my mother. I came on the down line in a large family of nine. After receiving my primary education at a local...
- Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike - 'things Fall Apart Inspired Me' (interview)
VINCENT CHUKWUEMEKA IKE, one of the foremost Nigerian writers, has produced more novels than many of his contemporaries. He set out on his literary journey in 1965 with the publication of his novel, Toads for Supper and today he has over a dozen publications...
- Chimamanda: ?to Write Fiction Is To Try To Make Sense Of The World? (interview)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer based in the US, is fast becoming a house-hold name not only in Nigeria but globally. Her works, especially the novel, Purple Hibiscus, has won many awards including the 2005 Commonwealth Writers? Prize for...