Emmanuel Iduma: I believe you consider yourself a reader, not even a critic. Why that distinction
Ikhide Ikheloa: I consider myself a reader, writer and consumer. The term critic as applied to me is often a charge leveled at me by those unhappy with my views of certain books. It also minimizes my work as a writer of creative pieces. I think people should simply relax, I am not Abiola Irele, let's get that clear. People take me a lot more seriously than I am willing to take myself. I am a consumer, I buy books and if I am sufficiently motivated I share my views after consuming the product. Many have chosen to call me a critic; however, what I do is probably a lengthier version of what you will find in online bookstores, readers extolling or excoriating a work. I do concede that I have very strong opinions and I am not shy to share them. By the way, readers have always shared their opinions of books, in beer parlors, book clubs, etc. The Internet and social media simply make it a lot easier to reach a wide audience. The digital world has democratized the reading and writing culture. Writers are suddenly finding themselves being held more accountable publicly than ever before. I am excited to be part of that movement to democratize the literary culture. I should probably start charging for entry into my Twitter and Facebook space. Now, that's a fundraising idea…
- Ikhide
Stalk my blog at http://www.xokigbo.com/
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