THE ROLE OF THE WRITER

....from Chinua Achebe


Achebe has often spoken about his ideas on the role of a writer. Each writer has their own philosophy on what it means to be a writer, and their place in society. The following are quotes and ideas from Achebe on his views on writing, and the motivations and responsibilities involved.

* "It's not really for the novelist to say, "This is what you must to be saved."" (Jussawalla, 67)

* "Why, why, why are people so frightened of letting things that happen in real life happen in literature?" (Jussawalla, 73)

* "It is important that the storyteller tells the story the way he sees it, not the way the emperor wants it to be told." (Jussawalla, 81)

* "For me there are three reasons for becoming a writer. The first is that you have an overpowering urge to tell a story. The second, that you have the intimations of a unique story waiting to come out. And the third, which you learn in the process of becoming, is that you consider the whole project worth the trouble-I have sometimes called in terms of imprisonment-you will have to endure to bring it to fruition." (Achebe, Home and Exile 39)

* "But overwhelmed or merely undermined, literature is always badly served when an author's artistic insight yields place to stereotype and malice." (Achebe, Home and Exile 41)

*one of the tools of colonization is storytelling: make a more palatable story, justify their actions (Achebe, Home and Exile 60)

*On Elspeth Huxley: 'She was engaged in spinning stories to validate the transfer of African lands to white settlers. To put it rather brutally, she was engaged in forging fake title deeds." (Achebe, Home and Exile 68)

Peace Always,
ANGEL