7 vragen aan... Chidi Ebere, schrijver van Now I am Here

Which writer would you like to take out on a date? (And why.) 

Stanlake Samkange. Simply because he wrote a book called The Mourned One, which I read as a 15 year old. At that age, like many teenagers, I struggled with questions about my identity: who was I supposed to be, and where did I belong in this world? Samkange’s book made me feel less alone, and I wouldn’t mind a chat with Samkange about that.

What is the last book you read that made you laugh out loud? 

Philip Roth’s The Great American Novel. I find it ridiculously funny, and it has, over the years, become my go-to antidepressant. The last time I read it (three and a half years ago), my laughter was able to infect the couple sitting opposite me in the train.

Someone lends you a time machine. Which writer do you visit?

This would not be a single writer, but rather a visit to the ‘editorial team’ that put the Bible together. There are very few books that have had such a dramatic impact on humanity, history, etc.

Who is your favourite Dutch author?

Annie M.G. Schmidt. I didn’t arrive in the Netherlands until my mid-twenties and therefore missed out on her writing. My appreciation of her work developed as I read book after book (multiple times) to my children. The magic was in the deceptive ease with which Schmidt captured the curiousity of youth.

What is your favourite Dutch word?

Schermutseling. I once heard Philip Freriks use it on the NOS Journaal in reference to a semi-physical altercation in the Italian parliament. The sound of this word (at least to my ears) matched the accompanying scenes of scuffling .

Could you pinpoint the moment you decided to start writing this book?

April 2020. The world had just come to a standstill and those not paralysed by fear and worry suddenly found ourselves with a huge amount of ‘thinking room’.  A short story that I had told a few years before in Mezrab jumped back into my head and began to expand: Now I Am Here is the result.

What did you enjoy most while working on this book? 

Creating the world in which this book takes place. Given this novel has no names or actual places, I was forced to design an entire society. It was a wonderful experience, that taught me, among other things, just how easy it is to succumb to the temptations of megalomania. Thankfully, my powers do not extend beyond the ability to write a book!