It’s a book about two women who come from different backgrounds in Nigeria. The Son of the House is a book so thrilling that it’s earned the author, Prof. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia, the prestigious $100,000 Nigeria prize for Literature, sponsored by NLNG, among other awards and nominations. Using the voices of two narrators, Onyemelukwe-Onuobia has shown she is as good a writer as she is a lawyer, an advocate and academic. She is also the founder of CHELD, a non-profit that advocates women and girls rights and good mental health. Her book is published by Parresia Publishers, Nigeria and Penguin Random House, South Africa. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, she shares her book’s voyage and more.
Congratulations on winning the prize, Prof! What was going on in your mind on the eve of the Nigeria Prize for Literature awards and what was it like to be named winner?
On the eve of the event, I reminded myself that, however it went, The Son of the House was a story I had always wanted to put out in the world. I reminded myself that my faith in the goodness of God made so manifest through the different things that had happened with this book was solid regardless of the outcome. When it was announced, it was surreal. No matter how much you have wished to win this, no matter how much you have prayed, it doesn’t take away the thrill, the surprise, the pleasant wonder of it all.
Welcome to the millionaires club! How does it feel to win?
It feels absolutely wonderful, like a gift, an unexpected but thrilling gift.
What does winning the NLNG Prize for Literature mean to you and your work?
It is confirmation that one has something that deserves to be out there in the world. Regardless of winning or not, the work would have gone on, but there is an even greater desire to put out as much excellence in the world as one can.
You also won other prizes. Would you say these awards have validated or pressured you as an author?
To some degree neither. I have always wanted to do the best that I can. And I bring that energy to the various things I do, in and outside writing. I would love subsequent books to do as well and better, but I am deliberate about not letting myself be pressured for the simple reason that it does not help, at least not me.
What in your background helped shape the woman, or should I say, the winner you are today (Laughs)?
Growing up in my home, I was surrounded by stories and storytelling and love and experiences that shaped my thinking and my desire to tell the stories and to be the best at whatever I did. As a child, I was a voracious reader, and I loved stories. I always imagined that I would be a writer before anything. I wrote several short stories and then my first novel at the age of 15, though it was never published. I got some support from my parents with my writing. I also got love, warmth, a solid foundation, a belief that I could be and do anything, and affirmation of my desires to be outstanding on several fronts.
Studying law was a second choice partially because I did not really know how to go about writing as a profession. Law seemed the closest thing to writing, and that’s how I ended up a lawyer. Afterward, during my doctoral studies, I went back to writing, working on several short stories and a novel, even as I worked on my doctoral thesis.
Which books influenced you as a child and which influence you now? And do you have a favourite among Nigerian writers, especially the women?
I read a lot of books as a child and I think they influenced me in some way. I am sentimental about Achebe. I love his accessibility and the fact that depth and passion can be conveyed simply. I would say I don’t have favourites – I read widely – Nigerian, non-Nigerian. I am moved by Emecheta, and I loved Nwapa growing up.
Tell us about your writing process and share some of the challenges you experienced bringing this book to life?
I write when I can and wherever possible- I write on my phone, send emails and text messages of whole paragraphs to myself. I am busy with the rest of life. But the optimal place and time to work is in the quiet, sometimes with music playing, many times reading another book. I faced many rejections on the way to the publication. I shopped it around for four years, before I eventually got a yes from Parresia in Nigeria and the Penguin in South Africa.
What gave you hope and the desire to keep pushing?
It would have been easy to give up on the book, really, given the number of ‘nos’ that I received. However, I really believed in the story. I kept going back to it and thinking it was good, that there was something there. As a voracious reader myself, I had to remind myself that I still knew what a good story was, what good writing looked like. And I told myself that I would keep pushing.
What triggered the curiosity to explore the story in the award-winning The Son of the House?
There are direct and indirect inspirations for this story. The indirect inspirations come from growing up in the atmosphere I describe – with its contradictions when it comes to the place of women and girls, the central place of sons, the differences etc., things I have written about perhaps more articulately elsewhere.The direct inspiration came from a story my mother told me and the feelings and thoughts that this evoked. I would love the reader to experience different places and live inside the world of my characters, which, as it happens, might not be very different from theirs. I explore the themes of class and culture, gender, and desire in a hopefully non-didactic way. The hope is that it speaks to my readers, moves them, and causes them to think. My identity as an Igbo woman is front and center in this book. The stories are primarily that of Igbo women living in a certain milieu, with certain understandings.
How did its themes resonate with what you’ve seen in Nigeria?
It is very much centred on how we live in Nigeria. It is hopefully a realistic portrayal of many things that are good about us – love, warmth, friendship, resilience, the ability to survive the hardest things. The themes of violence against women and girls, neglect of mental health concerns, classism, the challenges of patriarchy etc. are also very prevalent here. Working with the two narrators allowed me to show different aspects to the experience of being female in a certain time and place, and to draw the similarities despite outward appearances of differences in the backgrounds and lives of the two women.
How do you juggle between writing, your law career and responsibilities in different fields?
I work fully in my areas of expertise – academia, health law, gender, development sector consulting, and non-profit advocacy, and raising my children. I am ambitious and gifted by God in different ways, and I am honest about that to myself. I go ahead and do what I can. To be honest, it can be daunting. And sometimes things don’t go exactly as you want them. But I don’t settle down to think on the challenges. I simply go ahead and do what I can with excellence as a watchword, trusting God for grace, knowing that some things will take priority over others at certain points and trying not to be disappointed if I am not as prolific in some areas as I would wish. I also have a lot of help, from my teams at work, from support at home, from friends who are my cheerleaders and help me remember my dreams and talents. Any success makes it feel worth it.
Is fiction writing something you intend to do for a long time?
Yes, absolutely. That was my first dream job and now that I have some kind of platform, I fully intend to continue.
Do you feel more burden as a writer now that you have won this covered literature prize?
No. I will continue to do the best work I can, which is what I had always intended to do, awards or no.
I’m sure it’s not too early to ask, ‘how do you intend to spend the prize money?‘
I haven’t made up my mind fully. But I do intend to commit at least some part of it to supporting literacy and young and upcoming writers.
What’s next or what the future going to look like?
I am working on my second book. I look forward to more writing – essays, short stories etc.
Leave a Reply