Author, poet and filmmaker Godspower Oshodin has released his debut novel, Even the Devil Wears a Pretty Smile, in paperback and on Kindle through Amazon. It is available worldwide.
Published by the Africa Literature Trust Fund, the novel moves from a prison table at Kirikiri to government offices in Abuja and on to cities abroad. Its subjects are loyalty, ambition and what silence costs. In the world it describes, power is polite and a handshake can hide a ledger. The most dangerous people are often the most charming.
Gbenga Komolafe, PhD, pioneer Commission Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), wrote the foreword.
“This is not a comfortable book, and it is not meant to be… Nigeria and Africa need more writers willing to take on difficult material with craft and conviction,” he writes. “Read it slowly, and watch the smiles.”
Oshodin first said the title aloud in 2012 to his friend Victor Jideofor, known as Phlame Nations. A year later, in a flat in Happyland Estate, Lagos, he told Jideofor and other friends the story behind it. They urged him to make it a film. He chose to wait.
“The man who finished this book has learnt a great deal and seen a great deal since,” Oshodin said. “Much of that learning came on the road. I have travelled to 77 countries and 103 cities, and those journeys shaped how I see life and this book. A great deal of what is on these pages I could not have invented from a desk.”
Book tour
Oshodin will tour selected African countries in November, with readings, author conversations, media interviews and signings. Dates and cities will be announced later.
Oshodin is an author, poet, filmmaker, journalist and humanitarian. His work has appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide. In 2015 he was commissioned to write the official poem for Nigeria’s Independence celebrations.
His films include The Scale (Tears for Enebi), an anti-rape short shown internationally, and The Last Debt. His poetry collection A Poet Who Died By His Poem was published and launched in Dubai. He founded the Young Talents Initiative and is a United Nations Volunteer.
Africa Literature Trust Fund
The Africa Literature Trust Fund promotes reading, writing and multilingual culture in Nigeria and across Africa.
Title: Even the Devil Wears a Pretty Smile (a novel)
Author: Godspower Oshodin
Foreword: Gbenga Komolafe, PhD
Publisher: Africa Literature Trust Fund
Format: Paperback (6 x 9 in, 305 pages) and Kindle
Available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HLWLMBD1
Media contact: Joel Ebruvwe
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Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
