Lecturer celebrates international literary success

Teesside lecturer Kachi Ozumba has seen his debut novel earn international recognition.

His book The Shadow of a Smile was shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book in the Africa region.

The Commonwealth Foundation established the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1987 with the aim of rewarding achievement and encouraging wider readership while increasing an appreciation of different cultures and building understanding between cultures.

Kachi, who is originally from Nigeria, works at the University as a part-time Creative Writing lecturer. The Shadow of a Smile, published last September, was included in a list of books of 2009 compiled by national newspapers The Guardian and The Observer. A review of Kachi’s novel in The Independent newspaper said his ‘gift for capturing detail is astonishing’. The story focuses on a university graduate who finds himself in a Nigerian jail for a crime that did not occur. His fate is left in the hands of a corrupt and bureaucratic justice system.

An African Shawshank Redemption ‘I studied philosophy in Nigeria, but I always wanted to write and teach writing,’ said Kachi, already a past winner of the Africa regional prize in the 2009 Commonwealth Short Story competition and winner of the 2006 Decibel Penguin Short Story Prize.

‘When I was in Nigeria I had an idea which germinated into the story in the book. I explain the novel as being like an African Shawshank Redemption. The main character is treated unfairly. He is fresh from school and very green, but finds himself arrested and detained. He comes of age through his experiences.’ Kachi said one of the benefits of having his work published is that he’ll be able to pass on advice about his own experiences to his students. He added: ‘I can draw from my experiences in getting my work published by talking to students about what I did right, or wrong. It can be very difficult to get your work read by an agent or publisher before they even decide whether it should be published, it’s something that has to stand out and grab their attention. ‘Before I came to England I assumed English was a very stiff language and that everyone spoke BBC English, so it was a surprise to hear all the variations being spoken – it’s a much freer language, which has helped me in my writing and use of language. ‘I’m enjoying working with the students here at Teesside and I feel very proud to have come to work at the University of the Year.’

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