World Book Day Recommendations: Bura-Bari Nwilo Recommends Six Books
For World Book Day, 2021 and #365DaysOfBookOclock, we asked Nigerian writer, Bura-Bari Nwilo to share with us books that have either shaped his writing or he generally loves.
Bura-Bari Nwilo is the author of The Colour of a Thing Believed – collection of stories. He has a slim poetry book in Khana, one of the languages of the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta. He is a postgraduate student of African Literature at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Photography, cooking and creating humour are some of his other engagements.
Read him:
It is uneasy to narrow all the books that are important to you to just five but since I have this restriction, I shall list five books and add some jara. LOL. This list does not include poetry collections since I may find just a poem or two in a collection quite interesting. Here we go:
The House of Hunger by Dambudzo Marechera
The House of Hunger is important to me because of the narrative style and the imageries. I think his was so rich a mind. And though the book is in fragments, it is a beautiful lesson in style.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart has the simplest narrative technique ever or so. And though someone made mention of its closeness to anthropology, I think this rich text educates writers on the use of cultural metaphors and its allusions that were not strange in a very beautiful way. This is like a foundational text for any student of African Literature.
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
When I am privileged to teach creative writing classes, I usually refer to this book for starters. The style, the ease and the weaving of some complexities into a fine and seemingly innocent story is one I love. I think its beginning is also perfect. I love the introduction of conflict. I love Ms Adichie too.
Season of Anomy by Wole Soyinka
The one book by Soyinka that I have enjoyed greatly has been the writing style in You Must Set Forth at Dawn. But I enjoy how Soyinka spent a lot of time writing this text. It is heavy but because the author is brilliant, every part of the narrative is rich enough to send you to do background checks while reading.
A Month and a Day — A Detention Diary by Ken Saro-Wiwa
Ken Saro-Wiwa’s memoir is important to me and that’s all I can say. I cannot contest or challenge the situations painted in the book but I am glad it informed and showed us how Nigeria’s troubles did not start today.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is a bit religious for me and whoever has read it would agree that its message, not deep literariness, is far more appealing. I have gifted copies to a couple of persons and I have received one as a gift too.
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World Book Day Recommendations is a series of book recommendations made by African contemporary writers for World Book Day, 2021 and Book O’Clock’s anniversary.
