Five facts: Uzodinma Iweala

Uzodinma Iweala is the author of the novel Beasts of No Nation, which won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. His latest book is Our Kind of People, a nonfiction account of the AIDS crisis in Africa. Iweala is an American-born Nigerian.

Five facts:

My favourite writers’ festival experience was the FLIP Festival in Paraty, Brazil because a.) it’s Brazil b.) my little brother came with me and ended up getting profiled as the author’s ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ brother who ‘walks down the street followed by ladies’ in a national newspaper and c.) it’s Brazil.

The best thing about being a writer is not working in a hospital/ listening to all my friends talk about how horrible their real jobs are and realising that I would do what I do for free (don’t get any ideas now…)

When I’m stuck, or need to take a break from writing, I go for a walk, run or bike ride. I often find that vigorous physical activity can help eliminate some of the anxiety that blocks those creative inclinations.

My parents had a great influence on me, because they have been very encouraging of my work but also extremely honest with me about how difficult this world can be. It has really helped form a sense of commitment to my work and a strategic way of thinking about how best to create the right environments to do good work.

My greatest ambition is to sleep, oh please sweet sleep!

—

Uzodinma Iweala will be appearing on the panel The Other Africa on Friday 24 August at 2:30pm, with Kwame Anthony Appiah, Sefi Atta, Majok Tulba and Arnold Zable. He’ll be interviewed by Peter Mares on Saturday 25 August at 11:30am in a session called Humanising the Virus. And he’ll be reading from his work in The Morning Read session (free) on Sunday 26 August at 10am.