Zaynab Alkali Quotes
born 1950 Nigeria
Zaynab Alkali was born into the Tura-Mazila family in the 1950s. She is a Nigerian novelist, short-story writer
- Nigeria
- Academics
- Authors
- Essayists
- Novelists
Random Zaynab Alkali quote
14 quotes
Education opens doors and gives an individual option in life.
If you want to be a good writer, write what you deeply feel you should write, not what you feel the audience will like.
Writing in Nigeria is not a job, because it never pays.
My stories are triggered by drama of life.
The character of Ezeulu, the chief priest in Arrow of God, by Chinua Achebe is one of my favourite characters.
My library is next door to my home office for easy access, and it is arranged in an order of priority.
I have no immediate plan to read a new book because I am seriously engaged in writing someone else’s story.
Hard work runs through my blood. It does not kill, but laziness does. If I were to write about myself I would have hundreds of titles, maybe a title for every page.
She knew education is the master key to opportunities for a better life. Education opens doors and gives an individual option in life.
Fiction writing, for me, is also triggered by the drama of life I witness on daily basis. I find human nature an interesting study. Human relationships, especially romantic ones, are intriguing and highly fascinating.
By the Grace of Almighty God, I want to believe that I have been able to touch the lives of people, not only through writing, but in other simple ways, and I intend to do that for as long as I live.
I would say that life demands that we do not give up, no matter how hard it looks. I have lived by the simple code contained in almost all religions, believe in God and do good works. (Remember God does not leave anybody behind).
The time-factor. I often wish there are more hours in a day. When a writer is holding, rather tightly, to a demanding job, such as teaching, raising a family and fulfilling certain social obligations, writing can easily take a backbench.
Unknown to many, there are some good female writers in Northern Nigeria, but they are not easily known because they write in Hausa language. For a wider audience, I have advocated for translations, for years, at various forums, at home and abroad.