Obinna Udenwe

Obinna Udenwe is a Nigerian novelist and short story writer. He is the winner of the first edition of The Chinua Achebe Prize for Literature in 2021 for Colours of Hatred which was also a finalist for the 2021 NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature. His first book, Satans & Shaitans won the ANA Prize for Prose Fiction 2015. Quotes I started writing even before I went to the university to study engineering. I began writing formally in 2005 after I wrote the SSCE. Then in 2007, I started the novel “Satans & Shaitans” which was published in 2014 by Jacaranda Books, UK. It was in 2009 while studying civil engineering that I wrote “Colours of Hatred”. But before these, I have always loved books and writing. This was because growing up, I inherited close to one thousand books from my dad and he would get me to read them. I read “The Nigerian Revolution & the Biafran War” in Junior Secondary school. My journey into arts and writing started from having to read lots of books as a boy. Obinna speaking on his life journey into arts and literature. Colours of Hatred is set against the backdrop of the Sudanese civil war and the military regimes in Nigeria. It is entirely fiction but set around real events. I was motivated by the theme of hatred and how hate can ruin a family and change the course of their lives forever. Obinna talking about his book Colours of Hatred. Recently, as I grow in other endeavours like engineering, politics, farming, and even family life, I have found that increasingly; I experience writer’s block. But I have always had a solution to that. It is such that whenever I want to write; I turn on my computer and open a blank document and stare at it while thinking through the numerous story ideas in my head until finally; I start writing and the story takes shape as I write and rewrite. Other challenges are common to not just writers but to every creative in Nigeria, and they are such challenges as power supply, having to do other things that put food on the table, insecurity… and because I am an independent person not under the employ of anyone, I am able to create time to do just about anything. Obinna reflects on his experience with writer's block and how he overcomes it. Civil engineering is as much a passion for me as writing is. I do not think anything can make me stop writing. Obinna talking about his passion. My philosophy is to work hard, hard, and hard and learn while working. Writing is like mathematics, if you do it every day, you master the skill and become better. To upcoming novelists, I say: never give up, and never be in a hurry to publish your work. Obinna's advice to the upcoming novelist. I was lucky to have received lots of love and support from friends and family. My dad’s friend gave us a gift of a computer so I typed my stories with it after writing them on paper. I had friends and relatives, who were very willing to read the drafts, edit and make suggestions – one of such persons was Simeon Opoke – a cousin of mine who worked with me on my novel for over two years never asking for anything in return. Obinna speaks on how much support he received when he started writing. Category:Academics from Nigeria Category:Novelists from Nigeria Category:Short story writers from Nigeria