"Opanyin Poku stood up. 'I have heard. Am I the only one to know this story?'
Kayo shook his head while washing his hands in the bowl on the table. 'I have told you so that you can let the story get to those who need to know.'
from Tail of the Blue Bird by Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Vintage, Random House 2010)
Nii Ayikwei Parkes *1974
Over the years I befriended some people with a profession you don't usually meet in person, for example an Inuitologist. And, of lately, a pineapple farmer, indeed a Dutch pineapple farmer - actually living and working in Ghana. And since I am into literature, I tried to remember if I knew any author from Ghana. And sure I do: I recalled Nii Ayikwei Parkes in conversation with David Van Reybrouck at the WritersUnlimited literature festival (click here) in Den Haag this year! And while I did some research on Nii Ayikwei and his background I realised that there is a circle closing - enough reason to do another exception and present this month a male author on this blog.
And this circle started some odd 25 years ago in Hamburg. I was studying American Literature, focusing on Afro-American literature. I was reading books by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison (the better known), Ann Petry and Paule Marshall (the lesser known) and, my most favourite author, Zora Neale Hurston.
I was (and luckily still am) a curious one and always open to new styles in literature, always taking "the [road] less traveled by" (RF). So, when I came across an event which introduced some 'dub poets', I grew curious. And here, there were these two boys from the UK coming over to Hamburg to present their poetry in a sort 'slam session'. That's how I met Lemn Sissey (and Martin Glynn) and learned about 'musical' poetry (read the poem aloud and get into its rhythm). But I also learned about his struggle with life as a Black person in Britain ("British? Black and beautiful/Check it out my friend we're radical..."), with a social system hindering his mother to get back into contact with him for years. Beautifully mastered poems collected in his first publication with its telling title: Tender Fingers in a Clenched Fist (Bogle L'Ouverture Publications, 1988).
Now, you probably ask yourself, where is the connection to Ghanaian writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes?
Well, Nii Ayikwei is a writer in its broader sense. And he started with poetry to begin with. And, and here comes the missing link, both Lemn Sissey and Nii Ayikwei Parkes were members of Commonword, an initiative in Manchester to help new writers develop their passion. And it certainly helps: both are well known performing poetry artists and I wonder if it wasn't for poetry that made Lemn Sissey 'reach for the stars', being lately elected chancellor of the University of Manchester. I trust strongly in the possibility that poetry can do these things!
Anyway, as mentioned Nii Ayikwei started with poetry - and he started strong: he was writer-in-residence, artist-in-residence, poet-in-residence in the UK and USA, attended various poetry festivals all over the world and is one of the youngest living writers featured in the "Poems on the Underground" programme in London with his poem "Tin Roof" (you can purchase the poster here). He started his own publishing company flipped eye publishing when he realised that his poetry wouldn't be sold if not published in the UK. The list continues with two CDs with spoken-word poetry (Incredible Blues & Nocturne of Phrase; click here to get to Spotify), several chapbooks on poetry and short stories published in various magazines, just to name some. From his second fiction manuscript, Afterbirth, an excerpt is featured in the New Writing 15 anthology published by Granta (2007). And getting back to the literature festival in Den Haag again, you can listen to some beautiful poems read by himself (besides David Grossman, Jennifer Clement and Stefan Hertmans) at Poets in the House. In 2007, Nii Ayikwei received the Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana Award for Poetry and in 2010 the Michael Marks Poetry Award and his debut novel Tail of the Blue Bird (2009) was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2010 and awarded with the Prix Mahogany in 2014 for its French translation by Sika Fakambi.
The novel is another welcoming new style of original writing: an honest depiction of life in Ghana with a truthful vocabulary giving you the right touch of the place. An honest novel with a main character in a torn country. A country torn between traditions of honouring the old and wise, while being corrupted by money and power. And the big question of: how far do you go along with a political system? How much will you compromise to be able to do the work you are trained in and love? How much do you go along with structures of power and corruption to live an easy life and enjoy some comfort?
Next to this political level of the 'outer' story, the inner story focuses on the inherent level of a story: why do we tell stories at all? What's the use of it? Maybe we find an answer in the book itself:
"The hunter sat up and took the last piece of meat from his bowl. 'Hmm. What more is there to say? That is the story. Like all stories, it is a story about forgetting for if we didn't forget there would be no mistakes and there would be no stories.'"
A mythical story set in the harsh reality of Ghana. A country in the grip of power structures, disrespect and humiliation of its people with some hope that the people will not submit (so it is more than a 'detective story' as mentioned in Dutch reviews).
And were is Nii Ayikwei now actually from? He was born in the UK while his parents from Ghana studied there, but grew up in Ghana when they returned. He, himself, returned again to the UK to study at the Metropolitan University in Manchester - and that is when I got curious and the circle started turning...
RT = Robert Frost, excerpt from his poem "The Road Not Taken"
And this circle started some odd 25 years ago in Hamburg. I was studying American Literature, focusing on Afro-American literature. I was reading books by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison (the better known), Ann Petry and Paule Marshall (the lesser known) and, my most favourite author, Zora Neale Hurston. I was (and luckily still am) a curious one and always open to new styles in literature, always taking "the [road] less traveled by" (RF). So, when I came across an event which introduced some 'dub poets', I grew curious. And here, there were these two boys from the UK coming over to Hamburg to present their poetry in a sort 'slam session'. That's how I met Lemn Sissey (and Martin Glynn) and learned about 'musical' poetry (read the poem aloud and get into its rhythm). But I also learned about his struggle with life as a Black person in Britain ("British? Black and beautiful/Check it out my friend we're radical..."), with a social system hindering his mother to get back into contact with him for years. Beautifully mastered poems collected in his first publication with its telling title: Tender Fingers in a Clenched Fist (Bogle L'Ouverture Publications, 1988).
Now, you probably ask yourself, where is the connection to Ghanaian writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes?
Well, Nii Ayikwei is a writer in its broader sense. And he started with poetry to begin with. And, and here comes the missing link, both Lemn Sissey and Nii Ayikwei Parkes were members of Commonword, an initiative in Manchester to help new writers develop their passion. And it certainly helps: both are well known performing poetry artists and I wonder if it wasn't for poetry that made Lemn Sissey 'reach for the stars', being lately elected chancellor of the University of Manchester. I trust strongly in the possibility that poetry can do these things!
Anyway, as mentioned Nii Ayikwei started with poetry - and he started strong: he was writer-in-residence, artist-in-residence, poet-in-residence in the UK and USA, attended various poetry festivals all over the world and is one of the youngest living writers featured in the "Poems on the Underground" programme in London with his poem "Tin Roof" (you can purchase the poster here). He started his own publishing company flipped eye publishing when he realised that his poetry wouldn't be sold if not published in the UK. The list continues with two CDs with spoken-word poetry (Incredible Blues & Nocturne of Phrase; click here to get to Spotify), several chapbooks on poetry and short stories published in various magazines, just to name some. From his second fiction manuscript, Afterbirth, an excerpt is featured in the New Writing 15 anthology published by Granta (2007). And getting back to the literature festival in Den Haag again, you can listen to some beautiful poems read by himself (besides David Grossman, Jennifer Clement and Stefan Hertmans) at Poets in the House. In 2007, Nii Ayikwei received the Arts Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana Award for Poetry and in 2010 the Michael Marks Poetry Award and his debut novel Tail of the Blue Bird (2009) was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2010 and awarded with the Prix Mahogany in 2014 for its French translation by Sika Fakambi.
The novel is another welcoming new style of original writing: an honest depiction of life in Ghana with a truthful vocabulary giving you the right touch of the place. An honest novel with a main character in a torn country. A country torn between traditions of honouring the old and wise, while being corrupted by money and power. And the big question of: how far do you go along with a political system? How much will you compromise to be able to do the work you are trained in and love? How much do you go along with structures of power and corruption to live an easy life and enjoy some comfort? Next to this political level of the 'outer' story, the inner story focuses on the inherent level of a story: why do we tell stories at all? What's the use of it? Maybe we find an answer in the book itself:
"The hunter sat up and took the last piece of meat from his bowl. 'Hmm. What more is there to say? That is the story. Like all stories, it is a story about forgetting for if we didn't forget there would be no mistakes and there would be no stories.'"
A mythical story set in the harsh reality of Ghana. A country in the grip of power structures, disrespect and humiliation of its people with some hope that the people will not submit (so it is more than a 'detective story' as mentioned in Dutch reviews).
And were is Nii Ayikwei now actually from? He was born in the UK while his parents from Ghana studied there, but grew up in Ghana when they returned. He, himself, returned again to the UK to study at the Metropolitan University in Manchester - and that is when I got curious and the circle started turning...
RT = Robert Frost, excerpt from his poem "The Road Not Taken"
Quote of the Month - June 2015
"`'Like' is a strong word," Shan said. "So everyone, this book is a memoir, right? It's about tons of stuff, growing up in this all-white town, being the only black kid in my prep school, my mom's passing, all that stuff. My editor reads the manuscript and says, 'I understand that race is important here but we have to make sure the book transcends race, so that it's not just about race[']. And I'm thinking. But why do I have to transcend race? You know, like race is a brew best served mild, tempered with other liquids, otherwise white folk can't sallow it.´"
From Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013, Anchor Books)
From Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013, Anchor Books)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie *1977
Actually, I came across Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her latest book Americanah via my former participants of The English Book Club. While I was abroad for some months they decided to go ahead and chose books on their own to read and discuss. When I returned this spring, I joined them on a meeting and Chimamanda's book was on the list.
I have to admit that I was 'mildly surprised' they had chosen a book with 588 pages! But when I started reading Americanah, I couldn't stop. Timing, rhythm, style, schedule, characters...name it, everything fits its place and just by reading it you get into a flow.
Though, it certainly is not a lovely prose fiction but a rather tough-minded one with lots of bits to chew on. Open for another quote?
"`When I started in real estate, I considered renovating old houses instead of tearing them down, but it didn't make sense. Nigerians don't buy houses because they're old. A renovated two-hundred-year-old mill granary, you know, the kind of thing Europeans like. It doesn't work here at all. But of course it makes sense because we are Third Worlders and Third Worlders are forward-looking, we like things to be new, because our best is still ahead, while in the West their best is already past and so they have to make a fetish of that past.´"
With her talk on "We Should all be Feminists" (also published 2014 by Fourth Estate) she claims that equality for women would create equality for men as well, for: "The harder [sic] a man feels compelled to be, the weaker his ego is. And then we do a much greater disservice to girls, because we raise them to cater to the fragile egos of males." So, to make feminism an issue, not only by women but also by men, inequality could be diminished and more men might also become the person they actually are at their core and not trapped in an oppressive 'male' role.
I wonder if Chimamanda had Eugene Achike on her mind when she talked about this destructive 'relationship' between men and women? Eugene, the main character's father in her first novel Purple Hibiscus, a religious zealot intimidating his family both physically and emotionally. An impressive first novel published in 2003 and awarded with the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best First Book in 2005.
How eager Nigerian-born Chimamanda is as an observer of society and a spokesperson for her surroundings became obvious earlier on with her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. Published in 2006, the book covers the times of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) and the massacres between Hausa and Igbo people during which the Igbo created a new republic, called Biafra, showing 'half a yellow sun' in its flag. Skilfully, she interweaves the lives of her characters with the political events using flashbacks to give a larger picture to her audience. Not only won the book the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007 but was also made into an impressive Nollywood movie presented at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2013 (click here for the TIFF trailer).
Born in Enugu, Chimamanda grew up as fifth of six children in the university town of Nsukka, Nigeria. Both parents worked at the university and Chimamanda started studying medicine and pharmacy in Nigeria. In 1996 Chimamanda moved on to studying in the United States of America where she received a bachelor degree (summa cum laude) in communication and political sciences in 2001. Two years later, she completed her master's degree in creative writing and in 2008 a Master of Art's degree in African studies. She currently commutes between Nigeria, teaching creative writing, and the USA.
And very up-to-date: her latest book, Americanah, is currently shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the 'Winning Announcement' will be on 17th June (click here). I am most curious if Chimamanda will be honoured with another award. She certainly deserves it!
P.S.: Interested in all her nominations, awards and honours? Please check wikipedia for the list!
Quote of the Month - May 2015
“Stories
and poems don’t just appear on a page; they germinate, grow and are crafted.”
by Amal Chatterjee, ‘Editor’s Preface’
“The short story is that rare form of literature that follows just one rule, which is that there is no rule. It is fluid like water, can flow in any direction or be stagnant. It is like a fleeting feeling, a glimpse, a moment in time. It is not meant to satisfy but to whet your appetite for more good writing,[...].”
by Sabyn Javeri
All quotes from Creative Writing, Writers on Writing edited by Amal Chatterjee
by Amal Chatterjee, ‘Editor’s Preface’
“Writing
before all, is communication. It is communication with oneself and one’s inner
life even before it is communication with another. More broadly than that even,
writing achieves something. It externalises what was previously internal and
half-recognised. It allows thought to create itself by leaving a trail.”
by
Kathryn Heyman
“The short story is that rare form of literature that follows just one rule, which is that there is no rule. It is fluid like water, can flow in any direction or be stagnant. It is like a fleeting feeling, a glimpse, a moment in time. It is not meant to satisfy but to whet your appetite for more good writing,[...].”
by Sabyn Javeri
“When
you let language lead rather than trying to constrict its movement, it frees
the language and allows it to express itself in new ways through you, through
your individual voice. It is this that identifies the individual, gives the
individual identity within the tradition. And it is this that makes writing
creative and original.”
by
Colm Breathnach
“But
just as in our non-writing life we never truly know what is going to happen
next, what I was looking for each time was the poem beyond the poem I sat down
at first to write. [...] So the process of feeling in the dark for a poem
begins.”
by
Jane Draycott
“It
is as if the story is not quite complete without a discussion about it. This
may be in recognition of the reader writer duality that surrounds the story;
that after the story is written it needs to be read to complete its cycle of
being.”
by
Fred D’Aguiar
All quotes from Creative Writing, Writers on Writing edited by Amal Chatterjee
"Creative Writing - Writers on Writing"
First of all I tried to 'name' the book: it is an anthology for it presents eight very individual pieces of writing. At the same time it is a collection of essays, for each writer reflects on her/his unique writing process of the published piece of writing.
Next, the book is aimed at writers in general to give an inspiring insight of the diverse and very individual approaches to writing. At the same time, as a reader, this is a captivating collection of pieces by eight distinctive writers with a variety of languages and backgrounds (e.g. Australia, USA, India). So, whatever name I'll might try on the book it remains a fascinating and inspiring collection of pieces of writing supplemented by essays.
Take for example Fred D'Aguiar's short story on his grandfather. As a non-native speaker I had to wade through it with a dictionary close by. But as with a lot of walks in life: the story that unfolds before you rewards all the strain. For Fred, Guyanese by background, doesn't use the regular linear time progression but the lyric time as he explains in his supplementing essay: "I prefer to explore the motives behind the character's impulse to sow chaos in the story."
Emily Raboteau, in contrast, has chosen to use a personal experience for her short story to show how she 'transforms' her experience into a story: "I [...] knew that at its heart this story was about the cataclysmic transformation of becoming a parent. [...] The difference between the journal entry and the short story is structure. Real life is chaotic and, if not meaningless, plotless [sic]. Plot is the thing we impose upon real life to create story." I should say, completely the opposite to Fred D'Aguiar's point of view, isn't it?
Whereas Philip Gross reflects on his poem: "It is a journey, the oldest story-shape of them all [...]."
Another point of view?
"For me, characters are the backbone of the story. My stories lean heavily on the character rather than the plot, sometimes at the cost of slowing down the pace of the narrative." Sabyn Javri, Pakistani-born writer on her short story: "As the people in my stories reveal more about themselves, the story unfolds."
And then there is poet Colm Breathnach, from Ireland: "All creative writing starts with language, not with ideas, plot outlines, rhythms or literary theories but simply with language itself, with words and the desire to use words in a particular way." Which made Colm realise that he can best express the meaning of a word in his mother tongue, Irish. So you see, a wide range of points of view. And these are only quotes from the reflections! The stories and poems are at least as rewarding making it a matchless anthology/collection (see foto).
All in all the book is a well-composed collection of eight idiosyncratic pieces of writing with their supplementary essays. A unique combination which makes it a unique chance to listen to writers and their individual approaches to that particular writing itself.
A book, as mentioned, which is not easily named, registered or labelled but certainly worth expanding. So, my humble advice to the publisher: seriously think about making it a series.
Quote of the Month - April 2015
"Her mother comes back. As she walks past, she removes the sheet covering the hall mirror, folds it up, and carries it into the baby's room. She lays it at the bottom of the suitcase she's brought along for just this purpose, then takes the child's things from their drawer and puts them in the suitcase with the sheet. During the months that proceeded the child's birth, all of them - the pregnant woman, her mother, and her grandmother - sewed, knitted, and embroidered these jackets, dresses, and caps. Her mother now shuts the empty drawer. On top of the chest is the toy with the little silver bells. When she picks it up, the bells make a jingling sound. They jingled yesterday as well, when her daughter was still a mother playing with her child. The jingling hasn't changed in the twenty-four hours that have passed since then."
From The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck (Portobello Books; translation Susan Bernofsky)
From The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck (Portobello Books; translation Susan Bernofsky)
Jenny Erpenbeck *1967
To regular visitors of my blog, Jenny Erpenbeck isn't actually an 'unknown' author anymore. I had her already presented on my blog after I saw her at the EdBookFest in 2011 (read here). That time it was her then recently published book Visitation (org: Heimsuchung) which was in focus then.
So, why presenting the author another time?
Well, times fly and Jenny Erpenbeck is nominated for the "Europese Literatuurprijs 2015" with her latest book Een handvol sneeuw (orig: Aller Tage Abend (2012)/ UK: The End of Days).
This particular literary prize is a Dutch/Flemish cooperation and an initiative to highlight books by European authors and their Dutch/Flemish translators (see regulations (Dutch only)). The longlist 2015 highlights on 20 authors from 11 European countries: Portugal, Spain, France, UK, Finland, Norway, Germany, Iceland, Switzerland, Greece and Italy whereas the translation spans even further as Mikhail Pavlovich Shishkin writes in Russian though living in Switzerland.
Additionally, Jenny Erpenbeck crystallises more and more into a young, diligent high-class author. An author in the league of a Kamila Shamsie and Kiran Desai, a family background of writers included. She has such a unique voice of her own, her style of writing is brilliant, her use of words polished and refined, while her approach to the chosen subject is remarkable and singular.
So it is with her latest book The End of Days, nominated for the above mentioned literary prize: WHEN comes the end of days? As a child? As a young girl? As a young woman? As an elderly lady? Jenny uses five possibilities as a canvas to describe the lives that might or might not have taken place beforehand. As a reader we are five times lead into some metaphorical dead-end streets. Yet the narrator knows a rat run each time that takes us four times back again on to the main road.
Typically Jenny, the book is written in a minor mode, quietly moving ahead, very introverted, inside orientated. It's like she takes you along an inner search to the essence of life while creating five times a possible pattern that might lead to a possible end.
And it is about loss. Especially the last chapter echoes the loss when one realises that there won't be and cannot be another rat run to the main road. It's a loss not only of dear ones but losses that span generations, closing a circle, reminding me of her other book Things That Disappear (orig. Dinge, die verschwinden (2009)). A circle that starts and ends with objects and stories emerging and re-emerging, echoing in the reader's ears reminding one on how everything started.
A quiet and simple story; one could also read it as a philosophical hi-story refuting the idea that history is a linear progress as the Western world strongly believes. In her novel Jenny resounds the philosophy of the Eastern world that hi-story is a cyclic progress resuming at 'the end of days'.
The more I read by Jenny the more I grow fascinated by her style, her tone, her writer's idiosyncrasy, though there seems a familiarity of characters. A strong novel from a noteworthy German author.
The other titles nominated for the prize are certainly as strong, all of them first-class literature by authors as Finnish writer Sofi Oksanen, French writer Karine Tuil, or Greek author Yannis Kiourtsakis with his classic Double Exile (NL: Bij wijze van roman) actually also listed as a 'rediscovery' by schwob, another Dutch/Flamish cooperation (zie here). By September we should learn who won the prize. I'll keep you informed.
P.S.: For those living in the Netherlands and interested in meeting the various translators there are a variety of possibilities. Just check the site www.europeseliteratuurprijs.nl for more information.
So, why presenting the author another time?
Well, times fly and Jenny Erpenbeck is nominated for the "Europese Literatuurprijs 2015" with her latest book Een handvol sneeuw (orig: Aller Tage Abend (2012)/ UK: The End of Days).This particular literary prize is a Dutch/Flemish cooperation and an initiative to highlight books by European authors and their Dutch/Flemish translators (see regulations (Dutch only)). The longlist 2015 highlights on 20 authors from 11 European countries: Portugal, Spain, France, UK, Finland, Norway, Germany, Iceland, Switzerland, Greece and Italy whereas the translation spans even further as Mikhail Pavlovich Shishkin writes in Russian though living in Switzerland.So it is with her latest book The End of Days, nominated for the above mentioned literary prize: WHEN comes the end of days? As a child? As a young girl? As a young woman? As an elderly lady? Jenny uses five possibilities as a canvas to describe the lives that might or might not have taken place beforehand. As a reader we are five times lead into some metaphorical dead-end streets. Yet the narrator knows a rat run each time that takes us four times back again on to the main road.
Typically Jenny, the book is written in a minor mode, quietly moving ahead, very introverted, inside orientated. It's like she takes you along an inner search to the essence of life while creating five times a possible pattern that might lead to a possible end.
And it is about loss. Especially the last chapter echoes the loss when one realises that there won't be and cannot be another rat run to the main road. It's a loss not only of dear ones but losses that span generations, closing a circle, reminding me of her other book Things That Disappear (orig. Dinge, die verschwinden (2009)). A circle that starts and ends with objects and stories emerging and re-emerging, echoing in the reader's ears reminding one on how everything started. A quiet and simple story; one could also read it as a philosophical hi-story refuting the idea that history is a linear progress as the Western world strongly believes. In her novel Jenny resounds the philosophy of the Eastern world that hi-story is a cyclic progress resuming at 'the end of days'.
The more I read by Jenny the more I grow fascinated by her style, her tone, her writer's idiosyncrasy, though there seems a familiarity of characters. A strong novel from a noteworthy German author.
The other titles nominated for the prize are certainly as strong, all of them first-class literature by authors as Finnish writer Sofi Oksanen, French writer Karine Tuil, or Greek author Yannis Kiourtsakis with his classic Double Exile (NL: Bij wijze van roman) actually also listed as a 'rediscovery' by schwob, another Dutch/Flamish cooperation (zie here). By September we should learn who won the prize. I'll keep you informed. P.S.: For those living in the Netherlands and interested in meeting the various translators there are a variety of possibilities. Just check the site www.europeseliteratuurprijs.nl for more information.
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