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Italian Nigerian Journalist Finds Passion in Book Writing
The Nigerian man removed his black leather jacket in the main hall of the chic, salon-style café. He hung it over the back of his banquet chair with some care, taking time over it. His long cashmere scarf remained carefully wrapped around his neck. Hunching his shoulders, he affixed a civil smile to his round face and sat down carefully. The approaching waiter stared at him with some curiosity, and then at the faces of the other customers for their reaction to the presence of the only black man in the room. Calm and collected, the Nigerian ordered coffee and held his unlit pipe away from his lips, staring at it until the coffee arrived.
“Grazie,” Thank you, he said to the waiter.
“Prego!” Don't mention it!
Suddenly, the small mobile device in his left breast pocket vibrated, startling him into a brief comical spasm that amused the waiter. Embarrassed, he stared awkwardly across the café as the waiter stifled a laugh and walked away. For a fraction of a second nothing happened; then he self-consciously pushed back his chair as curious faces turned toward him. Before he could rise, the accompanying Do-mi-so ringing tone of the cell phone started. He struggled to his feet, gulping down the remainder of his espresso as amused stares followed him to the pay counter. He winced, yanking a black, continental wallet from his pocket, the cell phone pressed against his left ear.
“Pronto!” Hello, he whispered in Italian, “Sbaglio o sei in ritardo?” Are you running late or am I mistaken? He paused to listen, curled his lip amusedly, and collected his change from the waiter without leaving a tip. In Italy, unlike in the US, you don't need to tip. Of course most people will not scoff or refuse it (though a few will) but it is not necessary.
“Va bene,” All right, he said, “nessun problema, mi sono fermato solo per il caffè,” no problem, I only stopped over for coffee.
Lifting his jacket from the back of the chair, he slipped it on, and stepped out of the piano-shaped coffeehouse in Piazza Cavour called Pedrocchi Café. In the university town of Padua (where the historic figure, Galileo Galilei, once lectured, and where his old desk still stands today), Pedrocchi Café is renowned as café without doors, because of its long tradition of keeping its doors open, night or day.
“Va bene, sto arrivando,” All right, I'm coming over, the Nigerian said good-humouredly into the cell phone. Clutching two copies of a hardbound poetry anthology, he walked unhurriedly through the pedestrian piazza towards Palazzo Moroni, the imposing 16th century edifice that was, in fact, the City Hall.
It was a windy evening, almost the end of October. Three flags perching at the top floor of the city hall were fluttering in the early autumn breeze and the two police officers standing idly outside the building, gazed curiously at him as he walked past them. His name was Augustine Sam; he was on his way to the University of Padua to present his newly published collection of poems—SENSUAL ILLUSIONS—to a few friends, some of whom didn't even speak English but were curious to see the book anyway.
Same month, a few years later—October 2014, to be precise—Augustine Sam announced the release of his new book, TAKE BACK THE MEMORY, to the same group of friends, this time, by telephone. The event, by no means less important than the release of his first book (some of those friends are now scattered in different countries), it, in fact, marked a momentous occasion for the author, whose talent had long been stifled in a country where Nigerians have a dubious reputation. With the release of his new novel, Sam has come a long way. Take Back the Memory, according to his American publisher, Nancy Schumacher, “is one of the most enjoyable books I've acquired for Melange Books. Interesting story, great story premise, and the writing is poetic. I was stunned by the ending.”
Augustine Sam is a bi-lingual journalist, writer, and poet. A member of the UK Chartered Institute of Journalists, he was formerly an editor at then Lagos-based Classique Magazine. He was also Special Desk editor at THISDAY newspapers, an authoritative African daily, initially published in collaboration with the Financial Times of London. He later became correspondent for central Europe, settling in Italy, where, in addition to writing poetry, he contributed several articles on African affairs to the English-language monthly—The Messenger of St. Anthony.
Driven by his love for poetry, he participated in the North America Open Poetry contest with the poem, Anguish & Passion, which was adjudged winner of the Editors' Choice Award. The winning poem was published by the National Library of Poetry, USA, in the international anthology, The Sound of Silence. Following his nomination for International poet of Merit Award, his second contest poem, Lonely Hearts, was published in a follow-up anthology, Measures of the Heart. In 2007, Sam's first hardbound poetry collection, Sensual Illusions, was published in the USA and was considered for the John Simmons awards by the University of Iowa Press.
Andy Smith, editor of The Journal of the Chartered Institute of Journalists, U.K., in his comment on Sam's book, wrote: “Journalists can be a pretty soul-less bunch at times, and while they are great at communicating hard facts, they are generally less adept at expressing their feelings and their sensitivities. That's not true of all journalists, of course, and it certainly isn't true of Augustine Sam who has somehow managed to combine a career in mainstream journalism with an equally successful career as a creative writer and poet extraordinaire, picking up awards and accolades left, right and center for his amazing poems.”
Augustine Sam lives in the Venice province of Italy and is currently working on a thriller novel.
Read more about his works at www.authorsden.com/augustinesam
www.melange-books.com/authors/augustinesam/takeback.html