THE LABOURS OF AUTHORS, EDITORS...

By Leke Giwa  

The world of writing, typing, editing books has been going on for a long time, even in Africa - though of course the western world started centuries ago.  

 But the basics are still the same. I am fascinated with what T.S Elliot (pix below) said about the "labours" of the author - "The larger part of the labour of an author in composing his work is critical labour; the labour of sifting, combining, constructing, expunging, correcting, testing, (this is a) frightful toil...".  

For me this is an attitude that reveals a serious approach to writing, even before editors or specialized readers come in. It is an open secret that many writers, especially academics, are often unhappy with the input of editors in their work; with the inevitable enforced changes and seeming disruptions.

In the African context, a Western editor from a different background might completely change or even remove certain idioms and proverbs written by the African author, which might make such a writer shudder; make him/her believe that the work has been violated and undermined. 

Apparently Africa's most famous novel, Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe, was lucky enough to have had a broad-minded, sympathetic editor originally. Hence presumably the bulk of special ideas, conversations, syntax, of the society were left as originally written by the author - for the world to appreciate.  

I have heard it suggested that with the best editors, the original author would hardly notice how much hard work has gone into making his work much better - the author would still feel that the book is his/hers.

Such editors would largely concentrate on grammar, spelling, punctuation - for example we "pensmiths" might not know it everytime, but depending on the context of whatever we write there are tremendous differences when we write/spell similar-sounding words like "thought/taught" "quiet/quite" "though/thou" "renown" "renowned" amongst hundreds of other common words and phrases. The professional editor will easily correct such mistakes.

Publishers are aware that a perfectly written and delivered manuscript - no matter how superb the author is - is more or less impossible; hence the importance of editors to make the work better, and even guide the writer.        

If Amos Tutuola's The Palmwine Drinkard had been comprehensively edited, even re-written to fit in with the style of the western world, it would have lost its identity completely as an African story or novel. (Yet some African writers try to write to please western audiences, and end up as losers in the end). 

T.S Elliot, one of the shining lights of western literature is in essence very right - the author must do all they can to produce a near-perfect work; that would not need too much editorial work or revision by others.    

By the same token, in the African context, such a literary work even after the input of others, should still have a convincing African atmosphere that should nonetheless appeal to the universal general reader...