‘My library is a jungle’
Posted By: Edozie Udeze On: April
29, 2018 In: Arts
& Life, Sunday
magazine
Wale Okediran is a physician, but
mostly known as a writer. He is a multiple award winning novelist, former
president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), former member of the
Federal House of Representatives, whose book, Tenants of the House will soon be
returned into a film. A passionate lover of romantic and adventurous tales, he
tells Edozie Udeze in this chat how his love for books, his love for writing
and other issues, generally began many years back
What triggers your writing?
Well, for me, I think it’s just the
joy of expressing myself. Not only that; it is also sometimes a way to
say something in reaction to certain problems that arise in the society.
I started my writing actually as a social critic. It was mostly in the
Guardian Newspaper. And it was for me time to criticize government. But I
found out that the medium was very little; I then extended it to the novel
form, meaning fiction and sometimes poetry forms. It is still in me to
always express myself, say what I want to say, write about it for the public to
see and read.
When you read a book what are the
important things you look out for?
I first look at the opening, because
I am particularly drawn to that. Then since I have a lot of things to
read, I take decision whether to continue to read that book or not. The
opening sentences in the opening chapter have to be strong enough to sustain my
interest. And so once I am attracted, I get on with it. Another
thing that keeps my interest in a book is when the blurb is clear and
concise. The blurb should deal with the issues that keep my interest
glued to the book. Of course, the blurb tells what the book is all about.
What genre of literature are you
comfortable with?
Fiction. Yes fiction in novel
form. It helps me because I can hide in it to give account of an
event. I can also hide under it to even say the truth in form of
faction. And then often I take it beyond that to look into other problem
areas of the society.
At what point in your life did you
begin to write?
I didn’t even decide to start
writing. No, I didn’t. My friends told me because of what they saw
in me, the way I usually expressed myself. I like to tell stories.
You know, a lot of them began to encourage me, telling me to go on with
it. They then said Wale, why don’t you write? It was then that I
started writing. This was in my secondary school days.
Was there any particular book that
actually triggered the muse?
Well, I was an avid fan of the James
Hardley Chase series. I read almost everything, I was also very much into
the African Writers Series then. I read a lot of African writers then.
These honed my skill and if you must be a writer, a good one at that, you must
be an avid reader. I read a lot in the process. And luckily for me
my secondary school had a beautiful library. We had a lot of books then,
even when they were second hand books. It was Baptist Missionary School where
the missionaries put in their best to ensure sound education for us all.
It was Mount Olivet School, Oyo, Oyo State. The missionaries used to send
books from the U.S.A and I used to spend most of my time in the library,
reading books.
Of all the books you’ve read, which
character struck you most?
Oliver Twist by Charles
Dickens. Yes, Oliver Twist.
Why?
Ha! This is so because it is so
crafted that I pitied that character, I pitied the fellow Oliver Twist.
In fact, I pitied him so much that it struck me, it touched me.
Who are your favourite authors, and
why?
They are many, but mostly Russian
writers. Well, I am a fan of Russian literature. I devour almost
everything from Tolstoy to Jakov and others. And of course I love African
literature too. I love the way Chinua Achebe handles story telling.
I love Wole Soyinka also in terms of how he takes on issues in his works.
I like the way Winston Churchill of England writes and brings issues to the
fore.
If you meet any of these authors,
what will be your first question?
Oh, I will say to him: what made you
write so well? What is the trick? How did you come about the idea
and so on?
Are you a re-reader?
Yes, I am re-reader. I do so
because I believe a lot of books have more values. Even to write, you
have to re-write several times to get it right. So, it is for me with
some books. I’d like to go back to get more ideas. So, I re-read, I
re-write, I re-edit. I have to get it right. I do so because I am a
perfectionist. I believe in perfectionism, so to say. That is why I
keep reading, and re-reading and so on.
How do you organize your library?
My library is a jungle, I like
disorder. Yes, I like it that way. That disorder inspires me more
than order: It keeps me going when it is like that. My library is
actually my bedroom because there are books everywhere, in all corners of the
house. On my bed, sometimes under my pillow, you have books
everywhere. That kind of disorder in my library arrangement does it for
me. It is what I like and it makes me happy.
Between prose and others, which do
you read most?
Prose, of course. This is so
and I love romance. I also love adventure. And that is why in most
of my works I combine the two. This makes me happy.
Where and when do you like to read
or write?
I write everywhere; it can be
anywhere. This is so because I work late at night. I write in my
bedroom. I work throughout the day time and I get distracted by telephone
calls and so on. By 10–11pm, I switch off everything; it is now time to
write. That is usually in my bedroom, yes, in my bedroom.
When an idea strikes you, what do
you do?
Oh, I jot it down. I usually
go out with pen and paper. Then there’s one in my pocket right now.
(He then shows it to the reporter, with a chuckle). I have been doing
this since my secondary school days. It can be a nuisance. In fact
my wife says to me most often how do you move about with pieces of paper?
And I’d reply: it will help me to remember when I write it down.
What book do you want to read next?
To read next? Ah, well
may be I would say the new book on Donald Trump, the US President. It is
intriguing and I’d like to see what the story actually says.
What book did you read last?
Yes, it was Love Does Not Win
Elections.
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