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New novel questions the reliability of storytelling — both fictional and nonfictional

Nnedi Okorafor is the author of "
Nnedi Okorafor, William Morrow
Nnedi Okorafor is the author of "Death of the Author."

Nnedi Okorafor has written over 20 books. Her stories explore the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy using alternate histories and futuristic utopias, to ask provocative questions about the fate of humanity.

But in her latest book, “Death of the Author,” Okorafor is asking her deepest question yet.

“Death of the Author” is a novel about a paraplegic Nigerian American author named Zelu. At a moment of crisis in her literary career, Zelu gets an idea for a novel about storytelling robots. The book becomes an overnight bestseller, and its success transforms Zelu's life.

Among other things, she meets a scientist who invites her to test out an experimental piece of wearable technology that might enable her to walk again. And as Zelu's story unfolds, our perspective on it as readers changes. Some chapters take the form of transcripts from interviews with Zellu's friends and family members. Other sequences are lifted from the pages of the fictional robot novel, much of which overlaps with the themes of Zelu's story.

And on top of all this, Okorafor is in real life a disabled Nigerian American writer. She recently told The Show that this uncertainty about what the real story is, is intentional.

Full conversation

NNEDI OKORAFOR: The greatest path to truth is through the voice of many. So Zelu, she's, she's Nigerian-American. One of the, another tenet of Nigerian Americanness is the community above the individual. So if we have a story about Zelu, we can't tell that story with just Zelu telling her story. We're going to have to hear from her family. We're going to have to hear from many to understand who she is. She can't tell you who she is. The community can, and that community includes her.

SAM DINGMAN: Yeah. Well, and that's a fascinating answer also because it gets at kind of the main question of the book. I, I would argue, which is, are we the authors of our own stories?

And the other sequences in the book that are really interesting are the ones where we read excerpts from this book that Zelu sits down and writes that becomes a bestseller. And it made me wonder, there's a twist at the end, where we are sort of invited to consider which of the narratives that we have been reading holds primacy.

When did you arrive at the idea that you were interested in messing with which of those was quote unquote “the real world?”

OKORAFOR: I think it was well before I started writing this book. These are, there are themes because I've always played with the idea of story. And the line between fiction and nonfiction. Like from the beginning of writing, I was like already kind of playing with this, this line of what, what is fiction, what is not, what is stor? And then I was in conversation with this idea of is the written word the ultimate type of storytelling? But what about oral storytelling?

I'm Nigerian, you know, that's, that's one of the epitome of story. So I've always been playing with these things. So it's always been in the back of my head. So like when I sat down to write this thing where I didn't know what I was writing and it just became this, it's an accident, but not an accident at all.

DINGMAN: Yeah, yeah that makes sense. No, that makes sense. If I'm hearing you right though, it sounds like you gave yourself permission to go deeper on some things that you had wanted to go deeper on for some time. And just to ask you about one of the specifics of that. In Zelu, we as readers are shown aversion of living with a disability, which is, we see Zallu have romantic relationships. We see at some point she has an opportunity to perhaps undergo a procedure that will allow her to walk when she has not been able to walk for a very long time. 

And then her like identity as a disabled person is called into question. Would those elements of the story be an example of something that you were able to go deeper on here that you hadn't been able to previously?

OKORAFOR: Yeah, I think so. It's really that line between nonfiction and fiction because I have a lot to say about disability. You know, she's paraplegic. And what does it mean to be this type of woman, but yet, you know, have lots of boyfriends and, and have this attitude of like, I don't care about relationships. I, I like men, I'm going to do this.

And, and what does that mean for someone like her? What does it mean when her identity is questioned, you know, when you take off that, that identity of disability while you still have it. You discover a new strength, you discover a shakiness as well. And I think that writing Zelu and writing her, her going through these things kind of helped me deal with those things.

DINGMAN: It strikes me also in the way that you answered that, that there is a connection to another element in the story, which is particularly in the science fiction sequences of the book, there is a lot of discussion about the role of stories and Zelu is brought into confrontation over the course of the narrative with her own story of who she is.

The story of the way her family sees her, the story of the way the culture sees disabled people in general, the story of the way the culture sees artists and, and writers in general, and then in the science fiction sequence, we have this interrogation of whether stories are productive or not.

OKORAFOR: Yeah, I mean, this book is looking at the importance of our stories, and I think in this time of AI. And AI generating stories, we need to look at what is important about our stories and why are they important? What makes them such a, what makes them specific to us? Because now you've got this, this concept of AI-generated stories, and what is that? So yeah, I think that this, this book is definitely defining what it is that's important about our stories.

DINGMAN: That's so interesting because for me, one of the things that's very effective about the conclusion of the book is that to me it really forces me as a reader into confrontation with whether or not I can trust all of these very carefully observed specifics that we have been talking about in the rest of this conversation. How much of them do in fact originate from some author and who that author might be?

I mean, is that an indication that of, of any fearfulness on your part that automated writing tools might one day be able to develop that level of observation? Or is that perhaps an indictment of me as a, as a reader for realizing that I might fall for it?

OKORAFOR: You know, I don't think that people should be afraid of falling for it. I don't even think that's the problem. I think the, the question and the issue is underneath that. I think that like the deeper issue is like intent.

It's funny that I'm gonna say this, but fine, I'm gonna say this. If AI are intelligent, if they are sentient, if we have sentient AI, I'd have no problem with them writing stories. I would read their stories and I believe, I believe sentient AI will side with the creatives. I really do. They're going to be like, “these are ours. Why are you taking our stuff and using it for whatever.”

DINGMAN: That is the most holistic perspective on AI that I have ever heard, Nnedi. I have to say, I haven't ever heard it put that way. That if we, if we assume the idea that AI could develop sentience. In so many of the conversations about it the immediate next step in in most of our minds, at least in the popular discourse, is that that sentience would be used to exploit. That sentience ..

OKORAFOR: That's, and, and see, that's OK, so it keeps coming back to intent. What, and that's always been my, my argument when it comes to the technology. It's, the technology is not the problem. It's the human, humanity, human beings who are the problem.

It's, “what are we going to do with it? How do we use it? What is our intent?” Is our intent to exploit people and destroy whatever just so we can gather as much capital as possible, or are we trying to make the world a better place? Like there are, we have, we're at a crossroads here. We can go this way or that way, and it is up to us.

DINGMAN: There's that question again. Are we perhaps willing to be the authors of the story? 

OKORAFOR: Exactly.

KJZZ's The Show transcripts are created on deadline. This text is edited for length and clarity, and may not be in its final form. The authoritative record of KJZZ's programming is the audio record.

Sam Dingman is a reporter and host for KJZZ’s The Show. Prior to KJZZ, Dingman was the creator and host of the acclaimed podcast Family Ghosts.
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