L'interview originale en anglais

What was the impulse behind Who Fears Death? You speak freely of your father's passing in the postface.

I started writing Who Fears Death the day after my father's wake. My family is very very close and my father suffered for five years with Parkinson's disease, high blood pressure and severe Diabetes. He was one of the top heart surgeons in Chicago and to perform heart and thoracic surgery as a whole, one must have the steadiest hands on earth. You can imagine how terrible it was for him to suffer from a disease that made him shake. He eventually died from congestive heart failure, which was also rather ironic. It was a dark dark time for all of us. When he passed, the only way I could deal with it was going home and writing about it. The first portion of the first chapter of Who Fears Death was nearly word for word my experience during his wake when I found myself alone with his body. After I began writing, the story took hold of me and it became something else.

What issues were you exploring here and do you think that you have succeeded in the end?

When I wrote the story, I wasn't consciously thinking about addressing any issues. I was just writing a story. But when it was finished and looked at it in the editing process I saw that I was dealing with a lot of issues, including the plight of the strong African woman in a patriarchal society, the "heroine's journey", the oral story versus the written story, and the question of "what does post-apocalyptic Africa look like?". I think I succeeded in asking a lot of questions, answering some and helping readers consider all of them.

I've been deeply moved by your characters and their journeys. They're alive, not just some puppets for the writer. Do you have a favourite among them?

All of them are dear to me, as well. However, Onyesonwu is easily one of my favorites because it was her voice I heard as I was writing this novel and she had a wonderful exciting story to tell. Aro and Sola are also two of my favorites. They are bundles of contradictions. Aro is a composite of so many elders I have met and conversed with in Nigeria. And of course, there is Mwita because he's Mwita.

You address some very dark matters rarely seen in SFF. How did you find the balance between their bitterness and not let them overwhelm the whole plot?

No matter how dark the story went, there was always hope. Always. Who Fears Death is speculative fiction but it is equally African literature and if you read a lot of African literature, you'd see this theme of hope and love even when things get dark. It's also something I always noticed whenever relatives and Nigerian family friends talked about the Biafran Civil War. I wove that into the novel.

Hope seems at the heart of the novel despite its grim premise. Is that an important message for you?

Yes. Life is fed by hope.

Your novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic - and magical - Sudan. Did you plan since the beginning to use/add magic to your story?

Magic is a part of our world. There is no other way I could have written it.

How is born your relationship with/your interest for the fantasy genre? What does a World Fantasy Award mean for you?

I grew up reading everything, including fantasy. But I start writing fantasy in a more organic way. The first stories I wrote were not explicitly fantasy but they had mystical aspects. They were magical realist. I see the world as a magical place, so it seemed like a natural way to write. The mystical and magical are also part of Nigerian culture and that has definitely rubbed off on me.
The World Fantasy Award opened so many readers up to reading Who Fears Death. I think it also opened people's minds to the existence of other types of fantasy. Winning it was truly awesome.

What is your favourite aspect of writing? I've read that you are professor of creative writing. Are you influenced by your own career path?

My favorite aspect of writing is the idea of creating a document that will allow other people to experience all the crazy wild stories that have up until now only been in my own head.
Yes, I am a tenured professor of creative writing and literature at Chicago State University. I'm influenced by everything around me. My experience in academia is reflected in all my works in a countless number of ways.

You are very active online: is the web an important tool in terms of communicating with your readers, do some research, etc?

I love using Facebook, Twitter, Google + and lately Instagram. I also have a website. I didn't start using them as a tool, however. I started using them because I love discussing issues with people, exploring ideas, and talking about books and film. I love photos of strange insects, cats, and other non-human creatures and Facebook is full of them. However, I have found that the web is a great way to also communicate with readers and do research...though I find some of my best research through academic/university libraries and databases.

I know that sounds a bit cliche to ask you that, but what is your take on the female writers place and role in SFF these days?

That it's necessary. Diversity, diversity, diversity. The female writer doesn't have a role in SFF, the female writer is SFF, just as the male writer is SFF.

You have also written books for children and young adult. Do you work differently with that type of readers in mind?

No. I write what comes to me and then let my publishers decide what it is. I prefer things to be organic and when I do, it usually works out.

A Who Fears Death movie is currently in development. How much writing a script is different from writing a novel?

VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY different. Writing a novel is more organic, you can break all the rules when you know what you are doing, you don't have to think about the sexist racist ageist paradigm you are working within, you don't have to think about the budget for special effects, I can go on and on. Note: I may sound a bit more optimistic in a few months when I'm done writing the script.

Could you tell us a few words about The Book of Phoenix and Lagoon?

Lagoon will be released on April 10, two days after my birthday. Lagoon is a first contact story of a different kind, set in the Nigerian mega-city of Lagos. The word "lagos" means "lagoon" in Portuguese. The Book of Phoenix (release date TBA) is a sort of prequel to Who Fears Death. It's the story of how the apocalypse in Who Fears Death happened.

Your french publisher, Eclipse, has done a really great job with your novel, especially with a splendid cover. Are you often consulted by your foreign publishers, about cover art, translation, and all?

Simple answer: Yes.

Last but not least, is there anything you wish to share with your French readers?

I'm ecstatic and honored to have my novel translated into French and published in France. And of all my translations, this is the one I can read (my French is pretty awful but at least it exists). I hope you all enjoy this novel, and find me on Facebook and let me know what you think.

Pages de l'article

1. L'interview traduite en français
2. L'interview originale en anglais