An Interview with Derek Owuso

Derek Owusu is a writer, poet, and podcaster from North London. Derek discovered his passion for the written word at the age of 23 while studying exercise science at university. Unable to afford a change of degree, Derek Owusu began reading voraciously and sneaking into English Literature lectures at the University of Manchester. As the first novel to be published by Stormzy’s publishing imprint, Merky Books, That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu has been described as ‘Heartbreaking, important and original’ by fellow author Christie Watson. I enjoyed interviewing him and learning about his relationships with books and reading.

How do you describe your occupation?

A writer and an audiobook marketer.

What is something about you that people might find surprising?

I used to be a bodybuilder.

What are you reading at the moment and what made you want to read it?

I’m reading Jill by Philip Larkin. I read his interview in the Paris Review and the interviewer mentioned it a few times. I’d always known Larkin as a poet and Jazz man so I was surprised to learn that he’d written two novels.

What was your favourite book as a child and why?

Well, I didn’t read a book cover to cover until I was 23. But I do remember my auntie telling me about Anansi the spider. And I think if I was a reader very young I would have loved His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I love it now as an adult.

When did you fall in love with reading?

When I was 23. The moment I realised there was something special about literature was after reading St Mawr, a short story by D.H Lawrence. I don’t know what it was about his writing but I fell for literature instantly. It’s funny because now I can’t stand D.H. Lawrence.

What was the last book you purchased, and why did you buy it?

The Last book I purchased was Triangulum by Masande Ntshanga. I loved The Reactive, his first novel, and was reading some of the reviews of it to compare with my opinion. Then I stumbled across it. I had no idea it existed to reserved it at my local Waterstones immediately.

What are perfect reading conditions for you?

My bed. And free days free of listening to music that could interfere with my internal voice. I remember when I first became obsessed with The Smiths. I couldn’t read for months. Everything became a double-decker bus.

What book have you found most inspiring, what effect did it have on you?

I would say The Will to Change by Bell Hooks. Honestly, it taught me how to be a man, how to be myself. Before I read it I was very insecure about how emotional I was etc. But hooks really changed that.

What’s the most obscure book you own; how did you discover it?

Probably a book called Blood by Lawrence Hill. I discovered it after reading his novel The Book of Negros. Really, it’s just a book with random facts about blood but it’s really interesting. I thought I bought it at an airport.

What’s the best book you’ve read in the last 6 months?

Leaving Las Vegas by John O’Brian. I’ve been trying to watch the movie for ages but then I realised it was a book. So I read that instead. Incredible. Tragic, fiction and nonfiction, but so brutally honest.

What is your proudest achievement?

Having SAFE published. I feel like I’ve contributed to the Black British canon and that’s enough for me.

If you were trying to impress a visitor, which book that you own would you leave on the coffee table?

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It’s one of those books you know is spectacular but also that not a lot of people have read it. It shows you’re mainstream but still literary.

If an alien landed in your garden; which three books would you gift them to showcase humanity in the best possible way?

Great question. Less by Andrew Sean Greer; The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

What is the book that you feel has had the single biggest impact on your life? What impact did it have?

St Mawr by D.H. Lawrence. It literally made me fall in love with reading.

Are there any books you haven’t mentioned that you feel would make your reading list?

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. At times confusing reading but the language is wonderful minus the Sea horse thing. Immortality by Milan Kundera. People are mistaken, this is his best work, not The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Same for Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger.

Which book sat on your shelf are you most excited about reading next and why?

A book called Look at the Harlequins! by Vladimir Nabokov. I’m excited because reading him feels like you’re leveling up as a writer.

If you’d like to learn more about Derek Owusu you can find out more about him in this interview with Penguin.