Q&A with Ondjaki

The Angolan writer Ondjaki has long been a fixture of Luanda’s literary scene, and his novel Transparent City was published on 7 October. He spoke about the book, his work as a bookseller and the role of reading in the community.

On the inspiration behind Transparent City

The city itself, Luanda. Ondjaki believes the city uses its artists to tell its own history. Stare at Luanda, he says, and it is impossible to resist: you have to live it and tell a good tale.

On what readers might take from the book

He describes it as a reflection on the human condition, on power and on love. It asks where we stand now, in time, on human rights; whether we care about the other or others; and how short life is.

On the bookshop in Luanda

Ondjaki is a co-owner of a bookshop in Luanda, which he says came about because the city had, and still has, a specific need: for books, for bookshops and for a space where children can come into contact with books. At Kiela, visitors can also play. There is a large backyard, or pateo, and the shop puts on mini shows, artists, clowns and theatre for children. His main goal is that children should be able to spend time close to books and fantasy.

On the role of bookshops in the community

For Ondjaki, it is to bring the word “dream” into daily life. He sees sport and reading as part of education, not an optional extra, and argues that everyone should have access to books and sport, not only bread and vaccines. Bookshops bring people and knowledge together. They are also a space for trade, he adds, not in books alone but in love and affection.

On what he would do if he were not a writer

He would have liked to be a pilot, though it is too late for that now. He still wants to teach taiji quan, which he suspects is not too late, and would like to learn more about massage and to make documentaries. He also enjoys running creative writing workshops with children, which he does from time to time.

On the best book he has read in the past year

A beautiful book by the Angolan author Ana Paula Tavares, Um rio preso nas mãos, a chronicle that he found very deep — an author, he says, who puts poetry into everything she writes.