Books they read: Wame Molefhe

Wame Molefhe is a full time writer who freelances for a number of publications and writes TV documentaries and dramas, travel articles and radio jingles. Just Once, her children’s collection of short stories, was published in 2009. Her second short story collection, Go Tell the Sun, will be published later this month. She lives in Gaborone, Botswana.

What motivates you to read?
When I was much younger, I read because it provided a way for me to discover things for myself. Whenever I didn’t know the meaning of the word, I was told, “Look it up” and “You must read.” That was long before the advent of the internet, so looking it up meant getting the dictionary out and reading meant reading a book. Nowadays, reading is a stimulus for my writing and it is the ultimate indulgence. I do not need another person to read. I can be surrounded by people and noise, but disappear into the world created by the words I am reading. I also read to show children that there is an alternative to TV.

What sort of books do you enjoy reading?
It depends on my mood. If I am writing non-fiction and battling tight deadlines, I will usually read a short story that I can finish in one sitting. If I am not so busy, I will read a novel and if it is one I enjoy, I will try and make it last. Nowadays, I actively seek out writing by contemporary African women writers: Chimamanda Adichie, Henrietta Rose-Innes and Doreen Baingana. I am also exploring the world of poetry and always thrilled to discover a poem whose words and rhythm stay with me after I’ve read the last word. I like poetry from Gabeba Baderoon and A Thousand Silences by Lebo Mashile. I think writing has also brought consciousness of unavailability of writing from African writers.

Which writers do you feel a deep connection with?
I feel a deep connection with writers who examine human relationships, who explore and challenge norms.

Which writers influence your writing?
My writing is influenced by writers I have met, who are close to me. For example, during the Femrite workshop, I met Swedish writers and African writers from all over the continent. I was able to share my stories with them, listen to theirs and hear voices different from mine. They influence my writing because they provide a safe place for me to be heard, before I stride out into the big, not so kind world. The Caine Prize Writers’ Workshop gave me another opportunity to meet writers in this way. Coming together with other writers gives one an opportunity to hear voices that are not already in the mainstream.

Which character has had a great impact in your life?
Again, I must return to Home by Marilynne Robinson, to Glory, the youngest daughter in the Ames’ household. We learn that she is dealing with the disappointment of a failed love relationship. Few details are given about what went on in her relationship with her fiancé but the hurt she carried is evident and I empathise with Glory. Despite her pain, she must be strong for her father, strong for her brother, Jack, and try and keep the family together.

Which are the most memorable books you have read?
There are many books I could place in the most memorable category but I will confine myself to books I have read most recently: Home by Marilynne Robinson which served as a salve to the unrelenting pace and sadness in the The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini and We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. All three novels explore the nature of relationships within families and all three handle them differently. There is love, dutiful love, the ideal unconditional love for a brother by his sister in Home; there is envy of a brother by his brother in The Kite Runner; there is the very fragile love of a mother for her son who needs to understand why he massacred his schoolmates. After I read these books, I read them again, and will read them again, and again.

Which are some of the books you wish you had written?
The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut. It made me search for anything and everything he has written. The Long Song by Andrea Levy which I will describe as a historical novel. The writer confronts shocking events with such candour. You are shocked to the core and made to laugh by the events in the books. In particular, I enjoyed the way the story is told, by the son and his mother.

Which books do you use for guidance?
The English and Setswana (my first language) dictionaries. “Look it up”, the words I was told as a child have stayed with me. I used to read the dictionary when I had no new books. The Creative Writing Coursebook is a gift I received when I was on the British Council Crossing Borders programme in 2005. When I started writing short stories I used to refer to it constantly, then I found other books to refer to, but I have started using it again. It provides guidance for different aspects of creative writing. Wanna be a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones is another book I read and get many laughs from. It is sort of a do’s and don’ts for writers.