KwaChirere Exclusive: Interview with Brian Chikwava

He doesn't do a lot of these, so it was great to see this Brian Chikwava interview on Memory Chirere's blog. Here is an excerpt that focuses on the language issue in Chikwava's novel Harare North. It is one of my favorite qualities of this novel, and when day, after I find out how Chirere managed to get an interview with Chikwava, I may attempt a long chat with the author on the issue of language and African literature. It is an issue not to ignore, even when we get too comfortable and think that it's not an issue, it will still be. But for now, read this excerpt and go on to Kwachirere to read the entire piece.

Memory Chirere: Harare North, your debut novel has been applauded for ‘experimenting with language’. Ikhide Ikheloa says you use ‘pretend-language’, back in Harare, Irene Staunton says you use ‘patios’. My students wonder what you wanted to achieve because “Zimbabweans are well known for their ability to speak English.” In what circumstances did you decide to abandon the standard English language you used in the short stories?

Brian Chikwava: I tried standard English and it just didn’t work. The manuscript read stilted and the character had inhabit. That’s when I thought of – is it Achebe, I can’t remember? – who talks about bending the English language in order to make it carry the weight of the African experience. The language that I use in Harare North is not a true language in the sense that it is not spoken on the streets of Zimbabwe, but I believe it expresses the Zimbabwean sensibility better than standard English.

Around the Blog World

I just discovered that Munyori Literary Journal is listed on a really nice resource called Asia Writes, which lists information about international jouranals and submission guidelines. Good resources for all writers looking for markets.

Amazon Link to "African Roar", a Collection of Short Stories by African Writers

African Roar is a fiction anthology drawn from the very best stories published from 2007-2009, in the StoryTime weekly literary ezine dedicated to publishing African writers. Between these covers you will find eleven stories that stand as a testament to the upsurge of talented African writers boldly utilising the cutting edge of technology and the writing craft to be read globally. Spanning Africa and the African Diaspora in past, present and future, each story has a fresh and diverse vision that opens up new vistas of experience. From the lucid terrors of domestic violence through the eyes of a child, and the anguish of those left behind by a fleeing Diaspora, to a full circle, when the prey becomes the hunter and has the opportunity for revenge, and a dryly humourous look at what it's like to lose a quarter of your brain, to name just a few of the treasures that lie within.
Edited by Emmanuel Sigauke & Ivor W. Hartmann, published by The Lion Press Ltd.

Great Post on "Voice" by Nathan Bransford, literary agent

Read it here