Arinze Ifeakandu: Vilt og vakkert / Bold and beautiful

«Every day he lived, he felt less like himself. Growth people called it; he thought of it as estrangement.»

I novellesamlingen God’s Children Are Little Broken Things skriver nigerianske Arinze Ifeakandu fram et ungt, urbant og skeivt Nigeria, fullt av liv og kjærlighet. Gjennom ni fortelleringer, for det meste med mannlige hovedpersoner, skildres et bredt spekter av skeive erfaringer: altoppslukende kjærlighet, brennende begjær, hemmelige forhold, fysisk og seksuell vold, ensomhet og sorg. Med ømhet, råskap og melankoli skriver Ifeakandu fram menneskets universelle søken etter felleskap, og behovet for å finne noen å høre til går som en rød tråd gjennom boka.

Arinze Ifeakandu er et litterært stjerneskudd fra Nigeria, med et særegent lyrisk språk, som har blitt løftet fram av forfattere som Damon Galgut og Colm Tóibín. God’s Children Are Little Broken Things fra 2022 er hans litterære debut, som fikk strålende mottakelse og vant en lang rekke priser, blant annet den prestigefulle Dylan Thomas Prize. Han har også publisert flere enkeltstående noveller og sakprosatekster, og jobber nå med sin første roman.

Andrew McMillan er en engelsk forfatter av flere poesibøker og den kritikerroste romanen Synd. Han underviser til daglig i moderne skrivekunst ved Manchester Metropolitan University, og har vært redaktør for antologien 100 Queer Poems (sammen med Mary Jean Chan).

Nå møtes Ifeakandu og McMillan om God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, om ensomhet, ekstase og tilhørighet.

Samtalen vil foregå på engelsk. Arrangementet inngår i Litteraturhusets pride-program, og er støttet av NORAD.

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«Every day he lived, he felt less like himself. Growth people called it; he thought of it as estrangement.»

In his short story collection God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, the Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu describes a youthful, urban, and queer Nigeria, brimming with life and love. The nine stories, with mainly male protagonists, paint a broad picture of queer experiences: all-consuming love, burning desire, secret relationships, physical and sexual violence, loneliness and sorrow. With tenderness, ferocity and melancoly, Ifeakandu describes the universal search for human connection, and the need to find someone to belong to is a recurrent theme throughout the book.

Arinze Ifeakandu is a literary shooting star from Nigeria, with a characteristic, lyrical prose, who has been advocated by authors such as Damon Galgut og Colm Tóibín. God’s Children Are Little Broken Things from 2022 is his literary debut, winning him several literary prizes, including the prestigious Dylan Thomas Prize. In addition to the short story collection, Ifeakandu has published several shorter pieces of both fiction and non-fiction, and is currently working on his first novel.

Andrew McMillan is the author of several poetry collections as well as the critically acclaimed novel Pity. Outside of his work as a writer, McMillan is Professor of Contemporary writing at the Manchester Metropolitan University, and has edited the anthology 100 Queer Poems (with Mary Jean Chan).

McMillan will lead Ifeakandu through a conversation about God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, loneliness, ecstasy and belonging.

The conversation will be in English. The event is part of the Norwegian Literature House's pride program and is supported by Norad.

Foto: Janie Airey og Sophie Davidson