Hello Gentle Reader
Wole Soyinka is a Nobel Laureate. Receiving the award in nineteen-eighty six, Wole Soyinka has been the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Wole Soyinka along with Chinua Achebe is from Nigeria. Where Achebe excelled in prose work, Wole Soyinka thrived more in language and speech – both in the forms of theatrical playwriting and poetry; but has also written two novels. Chinua Achebe has been a perennial contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Often cited as the Father of African Literature, Chinua Achebe vehemently refused the title; and Wole Soyinka goes into the reasons why; in a recent interview:
“those who seriously believe or promote this must be asked: have you the sheerest acquaintance with the literatures of other African nations, in both indigenous and adopted colonial languages? What must the francophone, lusophone, Zulu, Xhosa, Ewe etc etc literary scholars and consumers think of those who persist in such a historic absurdity? It's as ridiculous as calling WS [Wole Soyinka] father of contemporary African drama! Or Mazisi Kunene father of African epic poetry. Or Kofi Awoonor father of African poetry. Education is lacking in most of those who pontificate.”
When I first read the sensational lines, of the newspapers, that Soyinka had made it clear how he felt about Achebe not winning the Nobel Prize, and the comments and desire that a Nobel Prize for Literature be handed over to the author posthumously, as being both ludicrous and ‘undeserved,’ (as was the first impression given) I was a bit shocked. Rest assured Gentle Reader that is not the case. Wole Soyinka is defending a friend and a fellow great author.
“This conduct is gross disservice to Chinua Achebe and disrespectful of the life-engrossing occupation known as literature. How did creative valuation descend to such banality? Do these people know what they're doing – they are inscribing Chinua's epitaph in the negative mode of thwarted expectations. I find that disgusting.”
Soyinka further makes this point clear in the interview with the followings statement:
“Chinua is entitled to better than being escorted to his grave with that monotonous, hypocritical aria of deprivation's lament, orchestrated by those who, as we say in my part of the world, 'dye their mourning weeds a deeper indigo than those of the bereaved'. He deserves his peace. Me too! And right now, not posthumously.”
Hopefully Mister Soyinka can find that peace. As should the dearly departed classic, Achebe.
But Soyinka makes a good point. If an author does not win the Nobel Prize for Literature, has their entire career as an author been a complete failure? Achebe was a great writer. No denying that. So were many authors. From Ezra Pound (politics aside), Anton Chekhov (in the Academy’s defense he died young) Georg Trakl, Rainer Maria Rilke, Marcel Proust (again died a bit prematurely), Bertolt Brecht, Jorge Luis Borges, Virginia Woolf – and so many authors. They did not win the Nobel Prize, that does not make them relevant. How many authors who did win the Nobel Prize for Literature are no longer relevant? Nancy Sachs, or Pearl S Buck, or François Mauriac. That is not an attack at the Swedish Academy some authors just do not survive the test of time; and the winds of change are cruel and unforgiving. Though the Swedish Academy has made some very big mistakes in its hand out – Dario Fo and Mo Yan the most recent. Yet with authors like Derek Walcott, Wisława Szymborska, Herta Müller, and Kenzaburo Oe – it more than makes up for mistakes. That all being said though, an author does not need the Nobel Prize for Literature to say they are successful or have made it. So perhaps some authors and their fanatical cheerleading critic friends and book reviewing friends, could take a step back and be proud of the bride once and stop pathetically trying to cheer the brides maid up; about how good (s)he is; it’s not their day or in this case their year – and maybe never will be. In that case Soyinka makes an adequate case: since when did Literature matter only about the Prizes and the highest accolades one could win like some horse race? Literature is about artistic integrity and literary merit; those commercial/pop writers (Dan Brown and Nora Roberts) need to take a hike and go back to the MFA program, in creative writing.
May, Chinua Achebe get some rest and always be remembered for the Great Author he was and will be; and may Wole Soyinka get some peace of mind and rest.
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
*And Remember: Downloading Books Illegally is Thievery and Wrong.*
M. Mary
For the link to the article about, please see “The Guardian,” in the following link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/20/chinua-achebe-nobel-prize-wole-soyinka
