Chigozie Obioma and the case for ‘audacious prose’

This week, Chigozie Obioma’s debut novel The Fishermen was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Obioma was already on my radar, first because I’d been hearing about the book, and then because I booked into a workshop he’s running at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival next month. I booked into it so fast, it was like Quick Draw McGraw. I blew onto my credit card and re-holstered it, then soon after got an email advising me the time and date of my own book launch, at the festival.

Of course: the same day and with an overlapping time-frame to the Obioma workshop. I laughed. Of course.

I’m still going to the workshop, but will have to scoot out early, after explaining to him and the group and making my apologies. My fantasy: that he will say ‘I’ll pop in to your launch after this, see you there.’ I like audacity, and I like prose that hovers somewhere above mundane, but that is not laden with metaphor, but that sometimes spins up into a burst of, possibly, purplish hue. This workshop seems perfect for me and I hope to learn more about control, more about when to unleash something audacious word-wise, and also to learn more about why he thinks it’s important. Looking forward to it immensely. Plus, yesterday I bought the Best Sandals Ever.

Here is Obioma’s essay online, and if you are interested in an opposing view, make sure to click on the link held within, to read ‘B.R. Myers’s agitated fracking masquerading as “criticism”’ which is also a great read.

The Audacity of Prose

*

In terms of reading and the other Booker short-listed titles, I have Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life ready to go, after reading what Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest said, as well as Anna Smaill’s The Chimes (which was on the long list) because Tracy Farr said it was terrific. I’ve just finished Paul Dalgarno’s memoir And You May Find Yourself. More to come on that in another post but it’s an amazing read. Sad, depressing and relentless. Brilliant, moving, hopeful. Funny and smart. I recommend. I’m next going to finish Holding the Man, and I’ve stalled on the Franzen but will finish. Am about half way through so am invested but my reading like my brain is very scatty and distracted at the moment. I have one coffee meeting in 50 minutes down the street and then I’m done with the teaching biz for a few weeks. I have one phone interview for book tonight (the third for the week, I’m getting better!) and then my week is ‘done’.

EDIT: Just popping this link here for me to come back to later, after I’ve read The Fishermen. New Statesman article | Making myths: Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen