Helon Habila, winner of both Caine and commonwealth prizes in literature 2000 and 2003 respectively, has written three world acclaimed novels, namely, Waiting for An Angel, Measuring Time and Oil on water. In this interview with Edozie Udeze and Joe Agbro Jr. he talks about his writing career and how he has fared in the world of literature and more
TELL us a little about yourself and how you got to the level you are now?
My name is Helon Habila. I just came for the Fidelity Workshop which I’ve been teaching every June/July (Summer) for the past three years. It has been running for the past five years but I started three years ago. And this is the first time we’re doing it in Lagos. I really fought to have it brought to Lagos. Last year, we did it in Nsukka; the year before, we did it in Abuja. So, this is the first time it’s happening in Lagos. And I’m glad we did because Lagos is very inspiring. This is where I wrote my first novel, ‘Waiting for an Angel.’ This is where I got my first break as a writer. And I think even the participants really enjoyed it more because it’s more accessible to reporters, television, and publicity. So, it gave the whole thing a different kind of dimension. It made it more interesting. And it’s quite central. A lot of the participants didn’t have to travel like we had in Nsukka.
Let’s talk about literature. From what you have seen since you came back, what do you think is the responsibility of the writer in a situation like ours when you have so many socio-political issues?
First of all, I must say that I’m quite impressed with the output that I have seen. I have been here for just two weeks and I already have been given novels. I’ve seen Richard Ali’s novel. I’ve seen Eghosa Imasuen’s novel. So many novels are already out. So, there’s so much dynamism. Unfortunately, I haven’t read them yet. But I think the concern of a writer in our kind of economy, our kind of society, is always going to be the same for a long time to come. It’s going to be the same from what it was with people like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, to the second generation, to us. And I think there is an emerging fourth generation already. The issues are not going to be that much different. We’re always going to be struggling with the socio-political issues. We’re always going to be conscious of what’s happening all around us because before you can have a change in the template, in the whole paradigm, the whole system has to change. And it hasn’t happened. We still have the same lack of satisfaction with the youth – young people are finishing university without any hope of getting a good job that they deserve. They went to school, they studied, but they can’t get a job. These are things I think that will continue to haunt our literature. I’d say the duty of the writer, first of all, is to write a story the best way he can but what kind of story is he going to write? I don’t want to be prescriptive. I don’t think that writers should be prescribed on what to write, but from my own experience, saying this is what I see writers writing about. I think it’s going to take a long time, especially those who are based here because they’re engulfed by this pressure just like when I was writing my first novel.
You have been interacting with many writers outside these shores. You have read a lot, you are now an associate professor of creative writing. Do you think Nigerian writers are meeting the standard in terms of grammar and theme?
I think they are doing that. I think Nigerian writers are really doing quite well. Not only locally, but internationally. I don’t have to tell you. You’re a man of letters yourself. You’ve been following the reviews, the trends, and they’re not just writing; they’re winning prizes. And they’re getting good reviews in the best papers. There are writers who would write books and won’t get a single review. So, for a review to appear in The Guardian (UK) and The New York Times, you must know what it means. I think Nigerians are getting a lot of attention, not just because they’re Nigerians but because they are doing well; they’re good writers, and they’re winning the prizes.
What do you think informs or shapes an author’s style?
So many things - his dedication, his reading, his background and his interest. But, mostly, literature is a kind of contemptuous thing.... Seventy percent of what you write is informed by what you read. So, there’s a lot of literature feeding off literature. But, then, I would mention the socio-political issues, especially in countries where things don’t work very well. There’s that existential dimensional to write. People just write about day-to-day struggle, about existence. That is what we see informing writers.
You made the transition from being a writer to now teaching writing. What does it take to do that? How has it been like for you?
I think the best thing that has happened to me is to teach creative writing. In a way, I think I’m learning because with writing, you are really learning all the time. I keep telling my students that I learn more from them than they learn from me. They think I’m joking, but it’s the truth. You don’t just read books now, but you read them to teach them. So, you have to analyse every line. You have to appreciate, discuss, and argue with the students about everything in the book. And you have to read everything that’s been written about the book before you can teach it. So, it really helps to make me see writing in a different way, not just as a writer but as a teacher of writing, and also the theme from the students’ perspectives as they grapple with it. And to work with students is quite inspirational. You see these students, they come and you try to tell them how important it is to write, to revise, to review, and to have a good work ethic. And you see these students come in, not very good first year, second year, you’re still with them. Then, by third year, you see the students blossom and really write. There’s something really inspiring about that. And it kind of confirms your own belief that anybody can be a writer if he really puts his mind to it. And it’s all about hard work. It’s just like any other profession. Talent is important, but hard work is really more important and you learn that and you remind yourself of that too
You mentioned how hard work is more important about being a writer. Now, what’s your view on when a writer puts in a lot of work and reviewers and critics tear it apart?
They are not God. I review myself. So, I know they all have their own angles from which they are approaching the book. So, I read the bad reviews and the good reviews and I try to take something from it unless the reviewer is a total idiot and you know their history and you don’t really see anything to learn from them. But, if I know a reviewer and I respect him and I’m seeing his works, I read his reviews very well just to learn something. But, let’s not forget that it’s not a measure of how good your book is. Even if it doesn’t win prizes, if it’s a good book, it will still come up one day. People like the author who wrote ‘Moby Dick’ died penniless, but look at his book, ‘Moby Dick’ now, it’s seen as a great American novel. It was so bad that his name was even misspelt on his tombstone. So, life is short but art is long. Art is going to be forever if it’s good. I take consolation in that. But, I think I’ve been lucky. Most of the reviews have been good to me.
As a teacher of creative writing, what are the essentials of a good book?
A good book! Hmmm... There are so many things. You have to understand the character of writing, I think. You have to read a lot on the things that have been written on it – not just novels. You have to understand how characters work. We call the arts the humanities because they are about human beings. So, I always tell my students that the characters in a novel are the most important things. If you understand human beings, what it takes to make them happy, sad, I think you can write an interesting story. Make your characters convincing and everything else will follow. Capture their mannerisms and speeches, capture their complexities. You have to understand the language though and how to bring everything alive.
Let’s look at authors and how they live. In advanced countries, authors live off their works. I don’t know if that really happens now. But, down here, if you don’t combine writing with doing other things...
I must correct you on that. Not in even advanced countries do writers live on their work. They don’t. Well, it’s only like 4% of them that live on their works. But most writers that I know have 9 to 5 jobs. Most of them teach creative writing just like I do. Most of them are published authors teaching poetry at the university. They are some of them who write poetry who don’t even sell more than a thousand copies – the whole print run. But they’re writers, so they work at any kind of jobs they can just to sponsor their writing. At the end of the day, I don’t think it’s about the money. It’s not about the fame. It’s about just having that passion and believing that you have something to contribute and this is what God gave you to contribute and you do it very well. And if you’re really good, you’ll stand out.
How do you perceive publishing in Nigeria and trends like eBook publishing in the country?
I think it’s a big opportunity. You know I self-published ‘Waiting for an Angel’ as ‘Prison Stories’ here in Lagos before I won the Caine prize. You had to write it, read it, and edit it yourself. There’s nobody who will do it for you. There were no editors. There was nothing like e-publishing. We didn’t have that. Even having email accounts was a big thing in 1999 and 2000. But, people now can just send their stories to anywhere in the world. And they can communicate and exchange ideas with critics online on all sorts of forums. I tell younger writers to take advantage of this. We didn’t have half of this. You could even write to an author who will reply you. So, I think they (young Nigerian writers) are doing well. But, it’s not only in Nigeria, it’s all over Africa, but here in Nigeria, there’s this boom on e-publishing and I think it’s going to get bigger because we are a country of 167 million people. Imagine selling a 100, 000 copies of your book. That’s a bestseller anywhere in the world. The publishers can really think outside the box in terms of distribution. They can really do a lot. I’ve seen a new publisher, Parressia, there’s Cassava Republic, and of course there’s Farafina. There are others out there. I think they just need to work on distribution. You can’t just print book, you need to find a way of actually selling the books and that’s where the money is. And I think that’s the next thing they will do.
As a writer, what’s the toughest part of what you do?
The toughest part of what I do is to sit down and write... It’s what I do. I enjoy doing it, but it’s hard work. It’s really hard work. That’s why not many people are writers because it’s not easy to just sit down and block out everything and have that focus and write. At the first draft, you’re almost despairing but by the time you sit down and after the first sentence, second sentence, it’s gone. The rest of it is just gritty hard work - just like going to the farm.
---EniOlorutidak'oseFarawek'oseF'enutembelek'oseBinuk'oseNa'kaiwosisiWiwol'aawo
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