BY THE BOOK: Esomnofu Ebelenna

Esomnofu Ebelenna is a Nigerian humorist, writer, teacher and academic. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • I grew up reading comic books and fairy tales. It’s a shame that most of their titles have evaporated from my memory.
  • However, I can still recollect their synopses because I enjoyed how humorous they were.
  • Frankly speaking, I constantly found myself imitating the characters at school, amusing my classmates.

Esomnofu Ebelenna is a Nigerian humorist, writer, teacher and academic. His short fiction has appeared in The Scarlet Leaf Review, The Kalahari Review, DNB Stories, African Writer, StoryZetu and is set to appear in TSSF Journal, Catapult maong others. When he is not writing or teaching, he Googles "beer".

He spoke to Nation.co.ke.

Tell me the three books that excited you the most in 2017?

I savoured myriads of books last year, but three of the novels that excited me the most and stayed with me are NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names, J M Coetzee's Disgrace and Howard Jocabson's The Making of Henry.

These books are remarkable in distinct ways. We Need New Names is the perfect definition of lyricism. The sentences were beautiful, so deliciously beautiful, that I wanted to put my head into the book and chew the words.

Disgrace disgraced my approach to prose writing; it opened my eyes and I discerned the verbosity of my own works. Disgrace was masterfully written in space, economical prose. The Making of Henry was a tour de force.

Which two books do you hold so dear that they can’t possibly be lent out?

Only two? You should have said fifty! Well, if you put a gun to my face and ordered me to give you my Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim or Joseph Heller's Catch-22, I would ask you to pull the trigger! Kill

me! These two novels recreate the cathartic, the spiritual experience of laughing so hard that it hurts.

Your favourite childhood books? Why?

I grew up reading comic books and fairy tales. It’s a shame that most of their titles have evaporated from my memory.

However, I can still recollect their synopses because I enjoyed how humorous they were. Frankly speaking, I constantly found myself imitating the characters at school, amusing my classmates.

I was...well, fey. Aside hilarious and satirical narratives, I read Chike and the River and a poignant full-length novel titled The Maids Are Not To Blame; it brought tears to my eyes.

The protagonist and I share the same name, Ebele, you see. There weren't any favourites, actually.

If you were to dine with three writers dead or alive, who would they be and why?
Oh God! I can give my soul to the devil just to have a handshake with Oscar Wilde! He is everything I hope I am: outrageously witty, outrageously flamboyant, outrageously flirtatious, aesthetic, flippant. Kingsley Amis is another obsession.

I'd like to drink lager beer with this genius in my next life. Lorrie Moore is another writer I adore because of her brilliant sense of humour. Her short fiction is reminiscent of Jane Austen.

Most unforgettable character from a book? Why?
I refuse to give you one. Charles Dickens’ Pip. His travails moved me. Achebe's Okonkwo fascinated me. This tragic hero is the excellent personification of masculinity in the pre-colonial Igbo society.

Okonkwo is that essential mirror that I habitually revisit to see my ancestors. Margaret's Rhett Butler is not left out; the "rascal" taught me that life shouldn't be taken seriously.

Which book do you wish you had written and why?

This question is difficult because there are innumerable masterpieces I wish I had written. But let me pretend that it's only Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.

If you were sent off to Robben Island for a year, which three books would you take with you?

First, I would bag Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God because the writer and I are from Idemili, Anambra state, where this story is set. The second book would be David Sedaris' farcical memoir, Naked.

And, of course, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah.

Do you think book festivals, literary prizes and writing workshops are important to a writer’s growth?

Yes. Literary prizes give you the needed reassurance, validation and encouragement. I don't think I am a big fan of writing workshops and book festivals. Perhaps I will attend one in the near future, but now there are many books to read. The best teachers are books.

Tell me about the last book that made you cry?
After Khaled Hosseini had succeeded in reducing me to tears with The Kite Runner two years ago, he did it again with A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Among your contemporaries, who d you consider the most exciting newcomer in the writing world and why?

I admire all the young or emerging African writers I have been privileged to encounter. But Otosirieze Obi-Young stands out. His lyrical voice commands respect.

What are you currently writing?

I am at the moment writing the third draft of my debut novel. I am also writing some memoirs and short stories. But it is my novel that I approach with utmost seriousness.

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BY THE BOOK is a literary series that covers authors, bloggers, actors, academics and poets of note in the African continent. For comments or inquiries, e-mail: [email protected]