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In our latest First Draft interview, we asked seven African writers, including Ike Anya and Nikki May, about the books on their bookshelves that might catch people by surprise. Here’s what they told us.
Photo Collage from Original Book Covers by Ijapa O / THE REPUBLIC.
One of the downsides of being a well-known author is that, once people have experienced your words, they often believe they know you. If we’re honest, many readers tend to put their favourite authors into neat boxes. For instance, we might assume Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s shelves are stacked with feminist books, or a legal thriller writer reads little beyond legal thrillers. But every true reader knows that interests are varied and fluid—and you might just be surprised to find a romance novelist nose-deep in a rocket scientist’s memoir!
That’s why in our First Draft column at The Republic, we ask leading African writers about the books that might surprise people on their bookshelves. From Ike Anya, who once randomly bought a second-hand copy of Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels, to Fatima Bala, who indulges in Annunaki lore for entertainment, these authors’ bookshelves are full of surprises.
Here are seven African writers and the unexpected books on their shelves.
The entire Mackenzies & McBrides historical romance series by Jennifer Ashley. Scottish kilts left a lasting impression. Read Åkerström’s interview here.
I recently saw Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels on a second-hand bookstall and bought it because I remembered my excitement when I got my hands on it many years ago. I think it was a copy owned by my aunt, when I was in my first year at King’s College. I was keen to see what I would make of it now. Read Anya interview here.
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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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