I think most writers would like a quiet space, complete isolation, in which they control their own time. Spaces of creativity in which there's very little interruption. Wole Soyinka More Quotes by Wole Soyinka More Quotes From Wole Soyinka When a leader encourages the culture of impunity, the society is lost and it makes the work harder for the rest of us. Wole Soyinka hard-work leader culture I know there are other writers who sit down religiously every morning, they take their espresso, they put a clean sheet of paper there and they sit looking at that paper until they've finished or covered at least a number of those pages. No, I'm not like that. I have to be ready. It has to gestate it for quite a while and then it's ready to burst forth. Wole Soyinka espresso numbers morning The media owes the responsibility to constantly tell the public the truth. Wole Soyinka responsibility The gods in Yoruba mythology are not remote at all. They're benign, they're malign, they are mischievous, like Eshu for instance, tricksters, rascally, fornicators, that's a similarity to Greek mythology, for instance, you know. They're not saints, they're not saints. They're powerful. It's why they're not tyrannical. Of course, a number of them are also very, you know, benevolent, you know, there are saintly virtues to be found in them. Wole Soyinka powerful greek numbers When I say war, I'm not talking about mental war; I'm talking about totally eliminating the obstacles to transformation of our children. Wole Soyinka obstacles war children With theatre, you can interpret the most complex play on stage for it have meaning to an audience because you're dealing in images, you're dealing in action, you can use different idioms to interpret and clarify something which is obscured in the reading and of course there are different kinds of play, there are mythological plays, there are what I call the dramatic sketches, direct political theatre which is virtually everybody, but I find that you can use the stage as a social vehicle, you know, which any kind of audience. Wole Soyinka political reading play I happen to be unfortunately temperamental. No, my temperament is also, what you describe to rainfalls, the will of society, to combat a number of contradictions. That happens to be my creative temperament. Wole Soyinka contradiction creative numbers In European and American society, many pundits started to lament the death of literature; looking at youth who were getting more and more attracted to sitcoms - hard, adventure films and said, our children are no longer reading, or else they're reading cartoons. Wole Soyinka reading adventure children The very function of creativity, of the elaboration of the human condition only enlarges the human spirit and, I mean, as a writer I don't want to read political literature all the time. It would be terribly boring and, you know, abrasive, but just reading the insights, you know, partaking of the insights of a writer into phenomena, into society, into human relationships, both on a micro level and on a macro level, is already a function. Wole Soyinka creativity reading mean Mythology can be used, and has been used, even to re-state, you know, the very urgent problems of the world. Wole Soyinka used problem world Alfred Nobel regretted that his invention, dynamite, was converted to degrading use, hence his creation of the Nobel Prize, as the humanist counter to the destructive power of his genius. Wole Soyinka invention creation genius As a global citizen, I sometimes feel like denying my identity. Wole Soyinka citizens identity sometimes I come alive when I have assisted in bringing out the printed word on the stage, you know, and I enjoy directing plays. It's a tactile process, theatre, unlike a number of other forms of the creative work. Wole Soyinka printed-word play numbers I think the epicentre of terrorism whether you call it cesspit or whatever you want to call it, shift, if you asked me a while ago, I would have said Somalia, Somalia has quietened a bit - and I think the epicentre right now is in Northern Nigeria. Wole Soyinka nigeria terrorism thinking Being the first black Nobel laureate, and the first African, the African world considered me personal property. I lost the remaining shreds of my anonymity, even to walk a few yards in London, Paris or Frankfurt without being stopped. Wole Soyinka yards paris black It's the place to begin, always -- to return to home, literally. Wole Soyinka return home If man cannot, what god dare claim perfection? Wole Soyinka claims perfection men We do not ask the mountain's aid to crack a walnut. Wole Soyinka aids mountain cracks When you fight corruption, corruption strikes back and that is the truth because when you fight corruption, you get confidence and when it gets to impunity, then it gets aggressive and says, 'oh, so you think you are different? You think you are tough and different?' This is why some of us are almost permanently in the libel court. Wole Soyinka different fighting thinking The idea of having to make constant reference to politics is anathema to my calling as a writer. Wole Soyinka anathema calling ideas
