JOJ Nwachukwu-Agbada, is a professor of English at the Abia State University, Uturu. A prolific writer and author of many books, he won this year’s Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA), poetry prize with his book Bombblast or Breakfast. In this interview with Edozie Udeze, he talks about his love for literature, mostly prose and poetry and what needs to be done to encourage young writers to read and write well.
What motivates you to write?
What motivates me to write has to do with life’s experiences. Because some of these experiences you cannot recall them except you create their own world. You recall them and then put them into writing. It can be sad or sweet memory and once you put them down, you can also ensure you teach your students most times based on some of these life’s experiences and how to handle life. You can tell people also to take more positive stand concerning certain issues of life.
What issues occupy your mind when you write?
Basically human issues; issues of life generally. I deal more specially with issues of poverty, issues of life where I can create alternative. I show often that even when you are humiliated it is not the end of life. If the experience is sad I may make it sadder or the opposite of it.
What genre of literature do you express yourself most?
I love poetry and fiction, yes, I do. I write poetry and fiction. And in poetry I deal with the same issues I’ve talked about. In the last poetry collection I did last year, which I put up for a contest, I dealt with the issues of life. It was in this year’s ANA poetry prize (and it won the poetry prize for the year.) The title is Bombblast or Breakfast where I tried to tell the world that people are dying because they cannot find something to eat. I looked at it from different points including building too many arms which does not make sense when there’s plenty of hunger in the world.
What kinds of books do you like reading most?
I love to read Nigerian authors whether they are here or outside. I am excited to get to read what they are saying to know what is in their minds; what subjects they are handling, especially those outside Nigeria. I also read autobiographies and biographies, so that I can learn or build on people’s experiences over time. Writing itself is about experience. If there is no experience you cannot write; there is practically nothing to write about.
Who are your most read Nigerian authors?
(Laughs) Ah, this is a very difficult question because I’ve not even thought about it before now. Em, Achebe remains at the top. But then I read anything that comes my way especially when people go out of their way to give me their books. I read them, yes I read them. If you have looked at ANA review this year, I wrote on Alagboso’s works, his dramas. He gave me his books and I had to do that piece on his works. I said ok, I would do that and I really did. So once a book is well-written, well-punctuated, well-edited, I will read. If it is not a standard text, it may put me off. That’s the problem I have. But once I am assured that it is well-proof read and all that, I will pick it and read. Be it poetry, prose or drama I spend enough time reading them.
At what point in your life did you decide to be a writer?
Ah, it is a long time oh! Very long, long ago. But I started reading writers very early in life. That was how I started; by reading writers first. But these days people start writing before they begin to read. And this is creating a problem; a big problem. You have to read before you begin to write. Right from the secondary school, I had shown enough interest to be a writer. I attended, if you like, a backyard secondary school, I will not quarrel with you if you call it that. But what happened was that many of us in the class had interest in reading; reading many materials that came our ways. We were generally good at reading, almost all of us in our class then. Each day you would like to talk about what you’d read. And we exchanged novels and other sorts of books. And if it was an essay someone wrote and you loved it, you’d like to have a copy to read. You’d like to make it available for others to read. So, we were very hardworking, very studious and committed. A lot of interest was shown to books by us and we loved books tremendously. We often discussed authors and what they said, the issues they treated and how they treated them. This helped us a lot and today I am a writer, a teacher of the English language and literature and drama.
Of all the books you’ve read, which character struck you most?
Ah, this is another very difficult one! Oh, the Achebe character! Yes, the Achebe characters are unique and striking. All of them are striking and intriguing. And also Chimamanda. All the characters she creates strike me. In Americanah, she created very good character in Ifemelu and how the story revolves around other characters in the book. It is amazing. Even the rise and fall and the rise again of Obinze is fascinating. It makes the Americanah story striking. I am impressed by what I read in that book. They are live characters who made the book come alive.
How do you arrange your library?
My library? The majority of my books are literature. Any other books, I arrange them the way I can always locate them; drama, prose, poetry and all that. There’s space for critical essays, journals and that’s the way I arrange everything in my library.
What book inspired you to start writing?
There was no particular book. I told you we read so many books – simplified series mainly – in our days in secondary school. So, I can’t say it is this or that. No, There were many books we read then.
What book are you reading now?
Eh, there are many. People give me books. So sometimes, in fact, I read them. I read the books people give to me. Sometimes also, I feel like writing or saying something about the book. That’s my preoccupation, but I have so many other things now to do. But those ones I kept them where I can always see them. Then occasionally I read one or two chapters of those books. I may be interested in reading all the books available to me, even those who are trying to find their feet as writers.
In recent times which book did you read that touched you most about the society?
Yeah, I read books. I read a lot of books. But the one that touched me most and which I am likely to read again is Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah. I have read it twice and I’ll read it again. This is so because she did well – it is a marvelous work of art.
Are you a re-reader?
Oh yes, I am. I do, especially if I want to write on it, to be very current so that I do not say what did not happen (laughs).
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