Book Title: Creative Conversations: 365+1 vol. 2
Author: GesiereBrisibe-Dorgu
Publishers: Literary Vistas Ltd, Port Harcourt
Pagination: 185 pages
Occasion: The Public Presentation of the Book
Venue: ECOWAS Secretariat, Abuja
Reviewer: Razinat T. Mohammed
Department of English and Literary Studies
University of Maiduguri
What is still scanty in Nigerian creative writings is a series of collections or anthologies on epigrams. An epigram is more difficult to create and compose than loose creative writing, simply because it serves as a condensed expression of wit and wisdom. An epigram has to be concise and precise; generally, it has to be colloquial and jocose with serious undertone, in order to absorb and inspire a reader. In fact, a reader of an epigram is not just a reader but a rapt participant in a conversation between two persons: the prints and the reader.
Brisibe-Dorgu’s work comprises all these ingredients and more. Her collection, 365+1 Creative Conversation, is a welcome development in Nigerian epigram creative writing, in line with other timeless masterpieces like Everything But Money (1967) by America’s Sam Levenson (1967); Britain’s Bennett Cerf’s The Laugh’s on Me (1963). These are works whose prophetic projections and factual universality transcend all times.
First, the title of Brisibe-Dorgu’s book is full of implications to daily, real life situations and it is adequately substantiated in the main work. Each of the 366 epigrams is not just a passage but an engaging partner in dialogue or “conversation”. The other participant in the conversation is not just the reader or the reader’s eyes but rather the reader’s own thoughts and conscience. Each word, line and statements are carefully composed to cajole or jolt the reader’s conscience into self-admission, re-assessment and re-affirmation or correction as it were. Hence, the “creative” parts of the conversations reside both in the writer’s perspective and the mental/psychological responses of the reader.
The timeless or universal span of each epigram is symbolized by the “Day” assigned to it. So that if the reader were to spend a whole year reading (or talking with) the book, each day will be occupied and enriched with one of the 366 conversations. The conversational dimension of the admonitions is further established by the use of second person reference (You, your, etc.). Thus, the reader feels as though the writer is addressing him/her personally. The thematic focuses of the various epigrams are of universal projections, captured in specific titles: Hope is “A way out, “Acquiring Knowledge”, “Aspiration”, etc; Confidence as in “Assertiveness”, “Excel”, “Yourself”, etc; Goodness as in “Abstinence”, “Accountability”, “Family Bond”, etc; Faith as in “Glory within”, “Holy Book”, “Spirituality”, etc and so on.
Also, the dynamic nature of each theme makes it relevant to a cross-section of human situations. An epigram like “Esteem” (P.66), for example, cuts across the themes of truth, honesty, tolerance, greatness, love, politics, power, family, success, etc. Accordingly, each page contains not just a new epigram but a new leaf in life, a new day to be gainfully enjoyed in self-reflections and dreams triggered to be put to practice.
By using broad diction for most titles of the epigram, Brisibe-Dorgu has made the titles accommodative of the individuality of her readers. For instance, a broad word like “Esteem” (p. 66) is more widely embracing than “business success” or “academic greatness” or even “political glory” each of which can smoothly fit into the parabolic expositions in “Esteem”.
In just two words, this great work by Brisibe-Dorgu can be described as a “moral workshop” whether the word “moral” is seen as an adjective or noun. This is a lively workshop that can be recommended for both the creative artist and other professional individuals. For the creative artist, the book is an invaluable collection of themes, expressed in prose-like form. Each theme is capable of generating a chain of specific poems, plays or stories. For the professional individual, this is a handbook, a comforting companion in whatever situation the individual may find himself or herself.
However, among the loopholes in this book are the numerous typographical errors, which must be eliminated to make for a smooth reading. Such errors include the dots after page numbers in the table of content; the second “are” in the first line of paragraph two (p.4); “pursing” instead of “pursuing” (p.5); “analytic” instead of “analyse” (p.9), and so on. Also, there are identical topic titles, such as “prosperity” (pp. 128-129); “purity” (pp. 131-132); “Wisdom” (pp. 180-181). Such titles should be labeled with different numbers, like “Wisdom 1” and “Wisdom 2”.
This is a creativework; it is supposed to stimulate or provoke creative thoughts in the reader. One aspect of the book that could kill this stimulus is redundancy. The repetitions of “Think about it” at the end of every epigram is redundant, indeed boring. The very words and statements in each epigram connote this directive: call on the reader to Think, without any attempt to be overt. Such a directive should either be used sparingly or not at all. As a whole, the book is an inciting document that seeks to inspire and challenge the human mind to live up to its potentials.
RazinatTalatu Mohammed, Associate Professor of Feminist Literary Criticism and Theoretical Approaches at the University of Maiduguri. She is the award winning author of A Love Like a Woman’s and other Stories (Kraftbooks, 2006). Her first novel,Habiba (Kraftbooks,2013), was a finalist for the ANA prize for prose 2014; she is also, the author of The Travails of a first Wife (Origami, 2015), Intra-gender Relations between Women: A Study of Nawal El-Saadawi and BuchiEmecheta’s Novel (Lambert Academic Publication, 2012) and Female Representation in Nigerian Literaturewww.africanwriter.com among others.
