Sola Osofisan
02-22-2009, 08:51 PM
By Gregory Austin Nwakunor
SEFI Atta will be in Lagos this week to read from her latest books, Swallow and Lawless and Other Stories.
Toni Kan, author of Night of the Creaking Bed, and Karen King-Aribisala, author of Our Wife and Other Stories, will also be reading from their latest works.
Atta, author of Everything Good Will Come, won the first Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in 2006.
Venue of the reading, which holds on Wednesday February 25 between 5 and 7pm, is Multimedia Suite, British Council, 20 Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos.
On Friday, February 27, Terra Kulture, in collaboration with Farafina, will also host the reading. There will be poetry reading from Tade Ipadeola alongside, in the programme, which starts at 6pm.
Also, Kowry Kreations Media, a literary organisation that is committed to the revival of the lost verve in the African arts, culture, values and heritages, will hold the 27th edition of Poetry Potter on Saturday, February 28.
The programme is a combination of poetry (oral, scripted and performance poetry), folktales and folksongs. Special guests at the event are RedSTRAT - organisers of The Futures Awards - and Terry Tha Rapman, whose real name is Terry Madaki, one of the rap exponents of this generation.
Since its commencement, it has paraded many writers, artistes and artists in the country. Among whom are Folu Agoi, Lekan Balogun, Akeem Lasisi, Lanre Ari-ajia, Yemi Adeyemo, Dele Osawe, Yemi Adeyemi, Ropo Ewenla, Segun Adefila and his troupe, the Crown Troupe of Africa, Awoko, Steve James and troupe, the Ivory Ambassador, Edun Production, Edaoto, the vibrant and energetic afro singer, Cornerstone, and many others.
Meanwhile, the second edition of From Caves of Rotten Teeth - a collection of short stories - by A. Igoni Barrett is now available. The book was first published in Nigeria in November 2005.
The 14 stories in this edition - five of which did not appear in the first edition- deal with circumstances that reflect the day-to-day existence of modern African life.
Though the stories may, at times, appear surreal the reader will recognise the truthfulness and realism with which they delve into the lives of their characters.
In this edition, the author's uncanny eye for details and accuracy is brought to bear. With these stories, he has achieved a vision that is both lighthearted and profound.
According to Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation, "in this collection, Barrett entrances the reader with his lush language and imagery that brings the essence of struggle alive...the effect on the reader's imagination will last for a very long time."
For Kaine Agary, author of Yellow Yellow and the 2008 Nigeria Literature Prize winner, "Barrett's prose captures, with enviable depth, the emotions and circumstances of his characters...from addiction to everyday survival, these stories are delivered with sincerity."
In the words of Chika Unigwe, author of The Phoenix, "these stories share the same beauty of language, the same keen sense of observation...reading the collection is a journey into a world that is sometimes humorous, but very often a reminder of all that is wrong in our world."
An opinion also shared by the Orange prize-shortlisted author, Laura Hird. She describes the book as 'a brilliant debut collection' and in an interview with the literary magazine Pulp.Net, named The Phoenix, a short story in the collection, as one of the best stories she had ever read. 'The Phoenix' won the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition.
Guardian (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/arts/article05//indexn3_html?pdate=220209&ptitle=Sefi%20Atta,%20Toni%20Kan,%20King-Aribisala%20Read%20From%20Their%20New%20Books&cpdate=220209)
SEFI Atta will be in Lagos this week to read from her latest books, Swallow and Lawless and Other Stories.
Toni Kan, author of Night of the Creaking Bed, and Karen King-Aribisala, author of Our Wife and Other Stories, will also be reading from their latest works.
Atta, author of Everything Good Will Come, won the first Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in 2006.
Venue of the reading, which holds on Wednesday February 25 between 5 and 7pm, is Multimedia Suite, British Council, 20 Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos.
On Friday, February 27, Terra Kulture, in collaboration with Farafina, will also host the reading. There will be poetry reading from Tade Ipadeola alongside, in the programme, which starts at 6pm.
Also, Kowry Kreations Media, a literary organisation that is committed to the revival of the lost verve in the African arts, culture, values and heritages, will hold the 27th edition of Poetry Potter on Saturday, February 28.
The programme is a combination of poetry (oral, scripted and performance poetry), folktales and folksongs. Special guests at the event are RedSTRAT - organisers of The Futures Awards - and Terry Tha Rapman, whose real name is Terry Madaki, one of the rap exponents of this generation.
Since its commencement, it has paraded many writers, artistes and artists in the country. Among whom are Folu Agoi, Lekan Balogun, Akeem Lasisi, Lanre Ari-ajia, Yemi Adeyemo, Dele Osawe, Yemi Adeyemi, Ropo Ewenla, Segun Adefila and his troupe, the Crown Troupe of Africa, Awoko, Steve James and troupe, the Ivory Ambassador, Edun Production, Edaoto, the vibrant and energetic afro singer, Cornerstone, and many others.
Meanwhile, the second edition of From Caves of Rotten Teeth - a collection of short stories - by A. Igoni Barrett is now available. The book was first published in Nigeria in November 2005.
The 14 stories in this edition - five of which did not appear in the first edition- deal with circumstances that reflect the day-to-day existence of modern African life.
Though the stories may, at times, appear surreal the reader will recognise the truthfulness and realism with which they delve into the lives of their characters.
In this edition, the author's uncanny eye for details and accuracy is brought to bear. With these stories, he has achieved a vision that is both lighthearted and profound.
According to Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation, "in this collection, Barrett entrances the reader with his lush language and imagery that brings the essence of struggle alive...the effect on the reader's imagination will last for a very long time."
For Kaine Agary, author of Yellow Yellow and the 2008 Nigeria Literature Prize winner, "Barrett's prose captures, with enviable depth, the emotions and circumstances of his characters...from addiction to everyday survival, these stories are delivered with sincerity."
In the words of Chika Unigwe, author of The Phoenix, "these stories share the same beauty of language, the same keen sense of observation...reading the collection is a journey into a world that is sometimes humorous, but very often a reminder of all that is wrong in our world."
An opinion also shared by the Orange prize-shortlisted author, Laura Hird. She describes the book as 'a brilliant debut collection' and in an interview with the literary magazine Pulp.Net, named The Phoenix, a short story in the collection, as one of the best stories she had ever read. 'The Phoenix' won the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition.
Guardian (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/arts/article05//indexn3_html?pdate=220209&ptitle=Sefi%20Atta,%20Toni%20Kan,%20King-Aribisala%20Read%20From%20Their%20New%20Books&cpdate=220209)