Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What went wrong?

"I think we have to ask people to read, like ikhide, read voraciously, and the words will sink in till you want to be writing yourself."

Ken,

I totally agree. You have to read good prose if you want to write well. I'm a sucker for sumptuous, elegant prose. I tell my students this; I tell them that they can write their way into my heart and an A. I have my favorite writers, including some people on this list. Has anybody read the prose of the Nigerian scholar, Ebenezer Obadare? I read him and savor his good writing. Okey Ndibe writing is one of the purest, elegant proses you will ever encounter. I don't just read good scholarly writing; I also read good journalistic writings and literary essays. Those are probably my favorite because they are shorter and more compact.

On Mon, Aug 29, 2016 at 4:15 PM, Kenneth Harrow <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:

Having read Mouth Sweeter than Salt, I can attest to toyin's wonderful, engaging style…and to his modesty.
Good prose style is not really taught in school. You have to have a feel for language, actually love words and their sound, their sweetness, or sharpness. We can listen for it, admire it, and play with it. Those averse to this are losing out on one of the great joys of life. I had a friend who was an important writer in England—of Pakistani origins. To improve his work he studied Chekhov closely. I think we have to ask people to read, like ikhide, read voraciously, and the words will sink in till you want to be writing yourself.
ken

Kenneth Harrow
Dept of English and Film Studies
Michigan State University
619 Red Cedar Rd
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-803-8839
harrow@msu.edu
http://www.english.msu.edu/people/faculty/kenneth-harrow/

On 29/08/16 16:29, "Toyin Falola" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com on behalf of toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:

The moderator has come again, to borrow from Fela:
If you read pieces from Moses, Farooq, Bolaji, Buba and Obi, you enjoy them for the pleasure of the language. I don't always agree with the contents, to be sure, but I have hosted dinner just to enjoy the language.

My own prose is mediocre as I did not have the pleasure of having parents to send me to a good school. I don't even know my father!

So the question is at what point did we lose it?
How come these folks can write so well, and in that same space today, many can no longer do?

For aspiring politicians this is not a Buhari issue!!

At what point did Nigeria get it wrong?
TF

Sent from my iPhone

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