Not All Great Writers Are Famous
There are authors whose names we don’t know, but whose words change how we see the world.” My memories are flawed and I don’t remember where exactly I saw this quote, but somehow, it resonated with me this morning when I came across a book prompt on X (formerly known as Twitter). While scrolling through X, I came across a book prompt from an account I follow. “Underrated Authors You Should Read.” The literary world is like life itself. Afterall, literature is a mirror of life. In life, we make memories with friends and families. However, there are strangers who come into our lives and make a greater impact. They are not popular people in our lives, they are just random human beings who knock on our doors, bearing gifts and sweet memories.
This is exactly how it is in the book world. We grow up reading certain authors. For example, if you are a Nigerian, you will probably read more Nigerian books. Likewise, if you are an Egyptian, you will read more Egyptian books. However, as you grow older in the book world, you start to “read strangers.” That is, unfamiliar authors and these authors will even have an even greater impact than the ones we have been reading all our lives. Sometimes, I think about how much a book lover might miss simply because they never came across a certain author. Sometimes, I think about the many stories that will be left undiscovered, simply because the authors are not well known.
I dream of a day where all the book lovers in the world would come together and talk about underrated authors. Authors who are not well known, but whose works you think at least one piece should be read by everyone in the world at least once in their lifetime. There are so many reasons why a lot of authors will remain undiscovered till eternity. Well, maybe not till eternity, but for a very long period. One of the reasons is that schools are not open to the idea of “scouting for new and good authors.” In my senior year in high school, I switched from science department to Arts. That was the moment I got introduced to the world of books. All the books we read throughout 3 years as a senior high school student were works of popular authors.
For poems, we read the works of William Shakespeare. The world knows William Shakespeare already. We also read the works of J.P Clark and Wole Soyinka, these writers are popular in my country. Outside the world of literature, Wole Soyinka is already a popular activist. While I am not against the idea of reading works by popular authors, I am also pushing that students should also read works by underrated/ less popular authors. Things did not change when I got into the university. My field of study is literature, meaning I read a lot of books in school. I read books like I had never before. I read bulky books that I didn’t think I would ever read. I analyzed poems that messed with my head. However, these poems, play texts, novels, were works of popular authors.
More than 80% of the works we read were those of famous people in my country. For example, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and others. They keep repeating the cycle and if it continues like this, a lot of good authors might go unnoticed forever. In the end, it falls on our shoulders to discover hidden gems with our own hands. Ask your fellow book lovers for book recommendations, not by popular authors, but by forgotten, underrated and less known writers. Discover hidden gems!
Good luck!
