All posts tagged: Book Thief

Team I-Read-A-Great-Book-In-2011

Published by Osemhen

I was going to write one of those blog posts about how fabulous/horrible my year was but I chickened out at the last moment for three reasons. First, it’s so cliché, isn’t it? Second, it seems awfully narcissistic. It involves quite a bit of navel-gazing that I honestly can not muster at this point in time with a straight face. I really am tired (and I figure you are too) of the sound of my voice (so to speak). So I decided to do something different. From the title you can figure it out. If you did not read any book last year, you can close this page right now. If you did, riddle me this. Of all the books you read in 2011, if you could recommend only one book for me to read in 2012, which would it be? Personally, I’d recommend The Screwtape Letters and The Book Thief. Screwtape Letters because it made me more aware of my unique failures and weaknesses in my Christian life. The Book Thief because it resonated …

A Really, Really, Really Brief Writing Workshop

Published by Osemhen

In a few weeks’ time, two writing workshops will begin. The first is organized by the Farafina Trust and hosted by Chimamanda Adichie. The second is organized by Fidelity Bank and hosted by Helon Habila. Understandably, not a few wannabe authors are anxious about being selected. The hosts are big names in the industry and for many people, yours truly included, the opportunity to interact with them is one to die for. Almost. The truth is that not everyone will get in. Sucks big time. Word on the street is that Farafina Trust received about four hundred applications. Only twenty people will get picked. Daunting odds. My stomach goes all funny at the thought of it. And so, to take my mind off it, I am reviewing everything I’ve learned about creative writing. If I don’t get in for either of the workshops (sigh), I’ll re-read John Gardner’s Art of Fiction and hope I get in next year. 🙂 So here goes. My mini creative writing workshop. I won’t say I’ve been faithful to them …

On Fela! and The Book Thief.

Published by Osemhen

First, FELA! Amazing. The dancing, the music, the sheer energy! Out of this world! The storyline itself, meh. But then again, I didn’t go to see Fela’s biography enacted. I went to see a Broadway production. And it was spectacular. The turn-out was lower than expected; I heard the play was shunned because peeps were miffed at the thought of a wholly American cast and (horror of horrors! *said in his pseudo-Nigerian accent*) an American/Haitian Fela. Haha! Please! Stop with the beef already. Why didn’t a Nigerian Director hit upon the idea? What stops a Nigerian from still producing a Fela play? Let’s face it: we let Fela die in our hearts, in our minds. He’s an international icon! They celebrate him, his music is taught in schools! And we, we rejected our prophet, reduced him to much less than a symbol. We forgot him and put him on the shelves, the back burner, the archives or wherever the hell it is we relegate our “heroes past”. It really is shameful that it took foreigners …