By Yemi Adebisi, Acting Head, Literary/Arts
The art of reading, some say, is a thing of the mind. It was however observed that most people that made headway in life are voracious readers. Some experts attributed this to the wealth of experience such people may have acquired from the books they read. No wonder the wise saying that ‘readers are leaders.’
Towing this line, a young writer, teacher and preacher, Chigbo Nnoli, who says his most cherished moment is when he finds himself in the gathering of writers, discussing books.
Nnoli, who hails from Oraifite in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State published his short story, Jide and The Old Man in 2009, while his first major fiction, Save the Dream, debuted in December 2012.
On the question of the first book he read in life, Nnoli said: “The first book I ever read is African Night Entertainment by Cyprian Ekwensi. I recalled vividly that I started reading when I was in primary two. However, it is very difficult to say this or that person is my favourite writer because I admire the courage, creativity and fearlessness of some of the world’s greatest writers.
“Be that as it may, writers like Nelson Demille, James Hadley Chase, Ernest Hemingway and Chinua Achebe stand out. But the greatest book I ever read is the Holy Bible. It has no rival, when juxtaposed against its contemporaries. The syntax, creativity, technique and diction are simply breathtaking and phenomenal. The swag and verve it echoes is second to none. No wonder why it is the word of God.”
His love for books appears to be outstandingly germane. To corroborate his stand, he continued: “Talking about the greatest fictions I have read is a tough one, but I have sensational three in my mind. They are: Word of Honor by Nelson Demille; Strictly for Cash by James Hadley Chase and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The book I’m reading now is: There was a Country by Chinua Achebe,” he said.
The young author listed his mentors to include Jesus Christ, Victor Hugo, Chinua Achebe and Fredrick Chissano, while describing writing as a powerful medium through which salient information can be transported for quick and massive circulation.
“Thus I found it apt and appropriate for my own peculiar method of information dissemination,” he said, stressing that he cherished the golden nature silence when reading.
But for writing, “I gather the materials for my book along the road, inside the bus, in the church, bus stops, cafe, markets etc. All these places connote noise but I knot and weave them into bundles of turning masterpieces in the silent of the night.”
Lover of philosophical epistles, Nnoli said his favorite quotation is an inspirational quote from the late French thinker, Victor Hugo who said “There is something stronger than the world. It is the idea whose time has come.”
Few childhood books that he claimed fired his imagination are African Night Entertainment, Eze Goes to School and Chike and the River.
“The later helped in spurring my zeal in writing my first short story and what attracts me to book is the cover and the blurb,” he said.
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