Our new print issue, Nigeria in the World, is here. Subscribe for full access or order your copy today!
Zimbabwean writer and author of 'The Polygamist', Sue Nyathi, was motivated to write her latest novel, 'An Angel’s Demise', by the lack of knowledge about African history: ‘I realized that I didn’t know the entire history of my country.
Zimbabwean writer and author of The Polygamist, Sue Nyathi, was motivated to write her latest novel, An Angel’s Demise, by the lack of knowledge about African history: ‘I realized that I didn’t know the entire history of my country. It made me realize that, for a great part of my life, my existence was whitewashed. I knew a lot about European history, but I couldn’t tell you anything substantial about African history.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What kinds of books did you read growing up?
My reading trajectory began with the Penguin Young Reader series. That was what we were raised on in primary school. Then I graduated to Enid Blyton, the likes of Noddy and The Famous Five series. And then, later, Roald Dahl. Zimbabwe was a former British colony and the British influence continued to pervade our education. So, I read a lot of English authors. When I went to secondary school our curriculum was still steeped in English literature. I was introduced to Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy and the Brontë sisters. Outside of school curriculum, we read Mills and Boon and other American books. So, as you can see, my early reading was devoid of Black writers and African literature as a whole.
The Republic is a Nigerian media-tech company dedicated to explaining our time—through deeply reported journalism on power, culture and society.
Focused consumption without interruptions.
Years of reporting at your fingertips.
Long-form journalism that matters.
Create a free account to continue reading this month and access more of our work.
About the Author
is an award-winning author with a portfolio of four fiction bestselling critically acclaimed novels: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018) A Family Affair (2020) and An Angel’s Demise (2022). She recently co-wrote Nozibele Mayaba’s memoir, Positively Me: Daring to Live and Love Beyond HIV (2024).
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.’
Comments
Sign in to comment.