Dorcas Speer Interviews Author Chinau Achebe (WOI News Clip 451)

Chinau Achebe is from Biafra he is a novelist some of his works have been a man of the people which is published by doubleday and anchor he received the Margaret wrong Prize for his first novel which was Things Fall Apart right and the Jambo New Statesman Award for photo of God and of God and then the Nigerian national trophy for for no longer at ease now these in 16 right now these are all novels when was the when did you write the last one the last one the man of the people I was published first in London in 1966 it coincided with the troubles the beginning of the troubles in the Nigerian Federation with the first military coup and it was interesting because the story itself was a story of the political corruption in Nigeria and I more or less said that this kind of thing might end with a military coup in the novel so now of course this is one of the contributions of a writer as they write of their own people and their own culture isn't it yes yes I think if a writer is right I should have his if he's a member of society and he is a member of society then what goes on is of primary importance to him and there may be moments when like in this case he finds himself as a kind of prophet now do you think that perhaps the novel form might have as much of an impact as let's say just a straight news release or an opinion by a person written in a different form oh it has more it has more I mean far more there's no comparison at all we're talking about good novels yes I mean I think a good novel is worth thousands of tons of documentation because you see a writer should play all the keys at once and and therefore his vision I think is likely to be more rounded and therefore more true now can the but let let me say this do you as a writer not only try to to portray the situation as it is with the various people and cultures involved as well as try to find a solution yes well there are certain levels of this of trying to find the solution I I think in a writer in this kind of situation becomes a critic a critic of society because he feels very strongly if things are not going very well and therefore if he says for instance as I said it is not right that those with whom we cooperated to win independence which we placed so much hope should now turn around and misuse their position of authority the position of of trust then is already making a concrete suggestion I don't think it is my place to say this is the kind of government we want I might feel if I if I if I find that kind of solution of course I could say but I think it is enough for me to say that this is not what we what we thoughtful something is wrong you see and draw people's attention to this now how has the conflict affected you personally and the pursuit of you you're really in a sense desire to be a writer well the situation is a very very extreme one in terms in you know strictly limited physical sense it has affected me in so many ways I should be teaching for instance and the University of the Afra now this university was one of the first victims of the war when the Nigerians moved in because it happened to be near the border with the after Nigeria border so they moved in there quite early in the war and so the work they are stopped I mean then not only moved in they said the library on fire so that's one way which is affected me I cannot make my classes then I lived in a nugu and what my house happened to do one of the first to be hit by a bomb and a lot of my books and documents and manuscripts and paintings were destroyed now then thereafter I have I have moved three times you know from place to place so this is this will give you an idea I mean I haven't suffered as much as as most but it's quite a lot you know to have this kind of disorganization and I just do not have the the the mind or the inclination or the kind of spaciousness which I need for writing novels I do need space and peace and so on and I cannot write any novels now so I'm doing other things we are all fighting a war I am fighting but I do find time to write poetry now this is something new for this is something new for me it seems to me to be the form suited to this particular circumstance it is intense it is brief and since there seems the right the right form for the time being now let me ask you this is it of the form and meaning that it will be meaningful to all peoples of the world yes well I hope so I mean I think yes I think I think I mean I've been talking about the novel for instance as if it was merely a social vehicle a vehicle for social reform and that kind of needs that but it's also a work of art I mean I'm assuming that we already have a good novel when we're talking about what it's additional and a good novel should be of interest to readers anywhere in the world and this I feel fairly satisfied for instance with with the limited success I have I have had with books for instance apart from publication in Britain and America in other parts of the world I mean 19 foreign languages so I think if you are saying something of importance then I think it should be of interest to people everywhere well I think sometimes there is not this understanding that actually if if a novel is good are a poem is good that it would be of in the sense Universal identification because otherwise it would be in a sense just a chronological diary might not yes it has to break out this kind of restricted area it is it is located somewhere in time and space it may be talking of a particular culture but running through it I think must be if it is any good must be some overtones strike a chord in human hearts and minds everywhere now I said it in my mind there is no doubt that yes you are a novelist of significance and that your work already has been acclaimed as being significant the poetry is partially part of the new what are some of the things that let's say that the strife were stopped in the next month or two what would you foresee for yourself in the things that that you would want to write about them well I haven't I haven't worked out say the next subject or theme of a novel but I know that I have learnt quite a lot my whole attitude to the politics for instance the politics of Africa in relation to Europe when I've seen so much that is ugly I mean I mean it's come out during this conflict I mean so much humbug so much hypocrisy and so on and this is bound to come out somewhere in my own society itself I have seen some good things some excellent things the the response of a people in an extreme situation discovering themselves something good I wish we had more time to pursue it but we do not our guest is Janna ought to be and he is from the African thank you thank you Janabi is from Biafra he is a novelist some of his works have been a man of the people which is published by doubleday and Anchor he received the Margaret wrong prize for his first novel which was things falling apart right and the Jack Campbell new New Statesman award for photo of God and of God and then the Nigerian national trophy for for no longer at ease now the instant sixty right now these are all novels when was the yeah when did you write the last one the last one the man of the people I was published first in London in 1966 it coincided with the troubles the beginning of the troubles in the Nigerian Federation with the first military coup and it was interesting because the story itself was a story of the political corruption in Nigeria and I more or less said that this kind of thing might end with a military coup in the novel's parallel now of course this is one of the contributions of a writer as they write of their own people and their own culture isn't it yes yes I think if a writer is right I should have his years and if he's a member of society and he is a member of society then what goes on is of primary importance to him and there may be moments when like in this case he finds himself as a kind of prophet now do you think that perhaps the novel form might have as much of an impact as let's say just a straight news release or an opinion by a person written in a different form oh it has more it has more I mean far more there's no comparison at all we're talking about good novels now yes I mean I think a good novel is worth thousands of tons of documentation because you see a writer should play all the keys at once and and therefore his vision I think is likely to be more rounded and therefore more true now can the but let let me say this do you as a writer not only try to to portray the situation as it is with the various people and cultures involved as well as try to find a solution yes well there are certain levels of this of trying to find the solution i I think in a writer in this kind of situation becomes a critic a critic of society because he feels very strongly if things are not going very well and therefore if he says for instance as I said it is not right that those with whom we cooperated to win independence which we placed so much hope should now turn around and misuse their position of authority the position of of trust then is already making a concrete suggestion I don't think it is my place to say this is the kind of government we want I might feel if I if I if I find that kind of solution of course I could say but I think it is enough for me to say that this is not what we what we fought for something is wrong and draw people's attention to this now how has the conflict affected you personally and the pursuit of you you're really in a sense desire to be a writer well the situation is a very very extreme one in terms in you know strictly limited physical sense it has affected me in so many ways I should be teaching for instance and the University of Biafra now this university was one of the first victims of the war when the Nigerians moved in because it happened to be near the border with the after Nigeria border so they moved in there quite early in the war and so the work they are stopped I mean then not only moved in they said the library on fire so that's one way which is affected me I cannot make my classes then I lived in a nugu and what my house happened to be one of the first to be hit by a bomb and a lot of my books and documents and manuscripts and paintings were destroyed now then thereafter I have I have moved three times you know from place to place so this is this will give you an idea I mean I haven't suffered as much as as most but it's quite a lot you know to have this kind of disorganization and I just do not have the the the mind or the inclination or the kind of spaciousness which I need for writing novels I do need space and peace and so on and I find I cannot write any novels now so I'm doing other things you are all fighting a war I'm fighting but I do find time to write poetry now this is something new for this is something new for me it seems to me to be there for suited to this particular circumstance it is intense it is brief and since there seems right the right form for the time being now let me ask you this is it of the form and meaning that it will be meaningful to all peoples of the world yes well I I hope so I mean I think yes I think I think I mean I've been talking about the novel for instance as if it was merely a social vehicle vehicle for social reform and that kind of needs that but it's also a work of art I'm assuming that we already have a good novel when we're talking about what its additional and a good novel should be of interest to readers anywhere in the world and this I feel fairly satisfied for instance with with the limited success I have had with so I think if you are saying something all the importance then I think it should be of interest to people everywhere well I think sometimes there is not this understanding that actually if if a novel is good are a poem as good that it would be in the sense in Universal identification because otherwise it would be in a sense just a chronological diary might not yes it has to break out of this kind of restricted area it is it is located somewhere in time and space it may be talking of a particular culture but running through it I think must be if it is any good must be some over to that would sort of strike a chord in human hearts and minds everywhere now as I said it in my mind there is no doubt that yes you are a novelist of significance and that your work already has been acclaimed as being significant the poetry is partially a part of the new what are some of the things that let's say that the strife were stopped in the next month or two what would you foresee for yourself in the things that that you would want to write about them well I haven't I haven't worked out say the next subject or theme of a novel but I know that I have learnt quite a lot my whole attitude to politics for instance the politics of Africa in relation to Europe when I've seen so much that is ugly I mean come out during this conflict I mean so much humbug so much hypocrisy and so on and this is bound to come out somewhere in my own society itself I have seen some good things some excellent things the the response of a people in an extreme situation discovering themselves this is something good I wish we had more time to pursue it but we do not our guest is Jana otterby and he is from the African thank you