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.
I am a glutton for tranquility.
I'm not sure I'm trying to communicate a message. I'm just trying to be part of the movement away from the unacceptable present.
The writer is the visionary of his people... He anticipates, he warns.
Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.
I'm an Afro-realist. I take what comes, and I do my best to affect what is unacceptable in society.