Chigozie obioma biography of martin

LSP:  There seems to be so many literary influences in your book, from Greek mythology, to Shakespearian drama, to 19th century European novels à la Dickens or Zola, to a sharp style that reminds some of Cormac McCarthy, with a touch of Gabriel García Márquez.

You’re obviously a voracious reader.  How early did you start reading?

CO: When I was about eight or nine, I was always down with malaria or something, and frequently spent several days in the hospital.

During those days my dad would sit by my bedside and tell me stories.

Chigozie obioma biography of martin

Then one day, healthy and at home, I asked him to tell me a story, and he said, ‘Go and read it yourself.’ He gave me a book and I read it and discovered that one of the most fascinating stories he’d ever told me was in that book!

It was Amos Tutuola’s mythic odyssey, The Palm-Wine Drinkard, which also happens to be the first black African novel in the English language. That was a pivotal moment. P