Kochi ∙ Neddy Okorafor first started writing about the ‘flying girl’. Until then, Nedi’s life, who was believed to be a great athlete by his parents, relatives and teachers, took a surprising turn. Neddy says that after that incident in his twenties, he could not stop writing.
Q What was that incident that Neddy told about?
A Everyone predicted that she would become a tennis player with great potential. He was also active in the track. Named Illinois State Athlete of the Year. That’s when I noticed a slight bend in my spine. But no pain or other problems. Yet the doctors said that if the surgery is not done now, he will not be able to move by the age of 25. So the surgery was decided.
Before any surgery on the spine, doctors will give a warning. That there is a possibility of getting tired. In my case that chance was 1%. When I woke up in the ninth hour after surgery, I felt like I had no legs. That one percent turned out to be true. Loss of mobility below the waist. Weeks passed. The eyes of the doctor who performed the surgery turned red with sadness when he saw me. He was wracked with guilt over eliminating the best athlete in the state of Illinois. A cloud of depression covered my mind as well. After months, my mind told me that I can’t go on like this. I started writing slowly.
It is about a girl who can fly. That writing started to wake up my body. New energy flowed into the legs. I got up, sat down, walked around… got into college. That flying girl wouldn’t let me stop writing. Now here I am, the first person from abroad to attend the Hortus Literary Festival. Coming to India for the first time.
Q Comics, stories, novels, science fiction, essays, lectures, screenplays… how is it all possible at once? Can you call it a ‘flying writer’?
A Will have to call. I don’t know what I’m going to write when I’m going to write. Sometimes it becomes a story. Sometimes a novel. It’s a process that happens organically to me. Growing up listening to stories, a family background that emphasized learning and reading, and a special interest in science and math all contributed to writing.
Hortus will be a new experience
Q What are the expectations for the Hortus Literary Festival?
A The thrill of life is not expectations, but the unexpected. When I came to India, I had a feeling that something like that would happen in Hortus. Such literary groups offer new experiences to writers, panel members of various discussion forums and those who come to participate in literary festivals.
Neddy Okorafor: US writer Nedi Okorafor is of Nigerian descent and has written comics including Marvel Comics’ Black Panther’s Long Live the King, Wakanda Forever and Shuri, as well as Le Guardia. He has written more than twenty books including Who Fears Death (2010) and Death of the Author (2025).
