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Algerian writer and author of Sand Rose, Hamza Koudri, wants readers to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to culture: ‘Communities are diverse and what you learn about a specific place does not entirely apply to the whole community… Culture varies with every step you take across
Algerian writer and author of Sand Roses, Hamza Koudri, wants readers to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to culture: ‘Communities are diverse and what you learn about a specific place does not entirely apply to the whole community… Culture varies with every step you take across time and space, and while it is important to familiarize yourself with the dynamic parts of the country and its past, you shouldn’t take anything for granted.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I remember going through countless fables and children’s stories as a kid. Back then, you would have an endless supply of your typical Aesop's fables (‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’, ‘The Lion and the Mouse’, ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’, ‘The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs’), and Hans Christian Andersen stories (‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Wild Swans.’) We also had lots of religious stories adapted in children’s stories format. I devoured anything I could get my hands on.
Also, it so happened that a small publishing house operated a printing workshop literally in my grandmother’s front yard. You can imagine the thrill of watching the employees work the roaring machines, printing and folding and cutting until the thick rams of large paper turned into a mountain of books. The nice workers would give my cousins and me books that did not make the quality standards. That was how I was introduced, way too young, to Lebanese romance by Pierre Raphael and historical fiction by Algerian writer, Waciny Laredj. I also read translated work of Lebanese-French author Amine Maalouf. At school, they had us read another series of fables, ‘Kalila and Demna’, and Muhammad Husayn Haykal's 1913 novel Zaynab, which we were told was the first Arabic novel.
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About the Author
is an internationally published fiction writer whose historical novel, Sand Roses, was the runner-up for the Island Prize in 2022 and featured on the Brittle Paper's list of 100 notable African books of 2023. He also co-authored a peer-reviewed article on 'Social Responsibility Discretion in Algeria,' which was published in 'Responsible Management in Africa' with Emerald Publishing. Hamza currently serves as Country Director with the British Council in Algeria, delivering high-impact programmes in English, Education and Arts.
Nigerian novelist, poet and author of Graceland, Chris Abani, does not believe ‘Nigerian literature’ exists as a category: ‘It is a common misconception that there is a fixed category that can be read as essentially “Nigerian literature”. Nigeria has 500 nations, 500 languages and about 2,000 dialects. While culture and language can overlap, the level of diversity is such that Nigerian literature cannot be easily narrowed down.’
For the co-founder and publishing director, of Cassava Republic Press, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, it is telling that African literature is often pronounced dead in recent years, when more women and queer voices are becoming more prominent: ‘The loudest obituary writers about African literature tend to be men. These elegies seem to come from a tacit sense of personal or generational displacement rather than from the actual state of the field.’
Nigerian poet, novelist and author of Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken-Hearted, Ben Okri, argues that Nigerian literature doesn’t always have to be about Nigeria: ‘Nigerian literature limits itself to Nigeria and then limits even the ways in which the country can be written about. What we want is a vast literature, a great literature…that speaks to all humanity.’
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