07/06/13. Dear Chinelo, its with a lot of joy that I’m writing
to tell you that I received HLW yesterday. Four days ago, I had been so worried
it had gone missing because it took too long when I called the head office and
they told me “nothing yet.” Today, while working on a Kenya airways flight, I
got a call from the company accountant, Alin. Well, you can guess what she said
right (I know you understand French) “bonjour Nkiacha,” “oui Alin bonjour,”
“votre courier la est arrivé eh!” “Ah bon eh, grand merci, je veux passer la
bas apres le vol.” “okay, je t’attends alors” I was distracted till the flight
ended! I first passed by the bank to collect our delayed salary and jet planed
to the office. The envelope was presented to me. I tore it open and stared at the
front cover admiring and later reading those 2 short reviews. (coincidentally,
I heard about Mohsin Hamid for my first time just last Sunday when I was
listening to the BBC’s world book club and he was the guest talking about The
Reluctant Fundamentalist!) I opened the first page and saw, wow “For Nkiacha:
many thanks for reading! Signature, date” my heart jumped for joy like John the
Baptist in Elisabeth’s womb-My first book sent to me by the author herself!!! I
brought it to my nose, oui, and loved the fresh smell of the new pages. I
counted the stories -10 of them (196 pages-it’s a very brief one for me) and
kept admiring it for 5 minutes. I left with my new book and my little salary.
Like the rapper Ice Cube sang in 1994, “It was a good day.” Let me now say bc
of our friendship, I now want you to win that Caine, lol! I devoured all of “On
Ohaeto street” last night and made notes despite being tired. I will read the
others carefully, write my review of each story and send to you. Once again,
thank you very much.
NB: Please don’t bother about people misinterpreting
and negatively criticizing “America.” It means you are going to be very famous.
Want to know why I said so? please have a look at this…. In 1990, the Peruvian
novelist Mario Vargas Llosa addresses a different aspect of the writing life:
fame. He recounts something Pablo Neruda once told him: “An article at the time—I
can’t remember what it was about—had upset and irritated me because it insulted
me and told lies about me. I showed it to Neruda. In the middle of his birthday
party, he prophesied: ‘You are becoming famous. I want you to know what awaits
you: the more famous you are, the more you will be attacked like this. For
every praise, there will be two or three insults. I myself have a chest full of
all the insults, villainies, and infamies a man is capable of withstanding. I
wasn’t spared a single one: thief, pervert, traitor, thug, cuckold, everything!
If you become famous, you will have to go through that.’ Neruda told the truth;
his prognosis came absolutely true. I not only have a chest, but several
suitcases full of articles that contain every insult known to man.” Mario
Vargas Lhosa….when Nkiacha Atemnkeng switched on CNN in 2011, he heard a
newscast that Lhosa had won the Nobel prize for Literature
Hmmm. Good to know
what you have awaiting you, lol. Bye bye dear.
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