Wale Okediran recounts his personal and professional journey with late publisher Joop Berkhout, a friend of writers and literary icon
By Wale Okediran
On one sunny day, July 5, 1987, at the Enugu Trade Fair Grounds in Enugu, Nigeria, when the late iconic African writer, Cyprian Ekwensi, held up my hand and publicly presented my first novel Rainbows Are for Lovers (RAFL), I felt a glow of happiness and relief flow through me.
After several years in ‘the publication wilderness’, I was finally a published author. I was still relishing that golden moment when my publisher, the indefatigable Joop Berkhout of Spectrum Books Ltd, Ibadan, nudged me to life and reminded me to make a speech—and later taught me how to autograph a book.
That momentous day in Enugu marked the beginning of my over 40-year relationship with that great man—a quintessential man of books, a writers’ delight, and a loyal friend. During those years, three of my books were published by Chief Berkhout’s then publishing stable, Spectrum Books.
While RAFL went on to become one of Spectrum’s bestsellers, The Boys at the Border was shortlisted for the 1991 Commonwealth Literature Prize. Even though Dreams Die at Twilight (Malthouse Press, 2001) was not published by Spectrum Books, it was adjudged one of the best 25 books in Nigeria in the last 25 years during Spectrum Books’ 25th anniversary in 2003.
“Joop Berkhout, a quintessential man of books and a writer’s delight, remained one of the most writer-friendly publishers in Nigeria.”
Although a hard-nosed businessman, Joop Berkhout invested in writers and remained, until his death, perhaps one of the most writer-friendly publishers in this part of the world. Apart from paying me a generous advance royalty for RAFL, Chief Berkhout also put me on the then Nigeria Airways Lagos-to-Enugu flight WT 264, Ikogosi Warm Springs, for the book launch. Unlike today, when many authors have to run after their publishers for their legitimate book royalties, regular twice-yearly royalty payments were the norm during Chief Berkhout’s time at Spectrum Books.
In 2007, when Joop Berkhout founded Safari Books Limited after his temporary retirement from Spectrum Books, he appointed me as Publishing Consultant to the new outfit. In his letter of appointment, he stated thus: “I am glad that you have joined us as our publishing consultant. I can assure you that I will keep you busy for many years to come.”
Even though at that time he was already in his 80s, he kept to his word by piling me with loads of jobs and responsibilities, especially in the area of biography writing. In the course of my duty, Chief Berkhout introduced me to some leading captains of industry, political leaders, and former Nigerian presidents, some of whom I personally interviewed for their biographies.
A great socialite and humanist, I was part of his regular league of lunch and dinner guests in his Ibadan home, Cambridge House—a house made famous by its past occupant, the late Nigerian poet Christopher Okigbo. During those encounters, “Chairman,” as I fondly called him, regularly regaled me with his thoughts on almost every conceivable topic under the sky, even if we didn’t always agree on such topics.
With his demise, Nigeria has lost a wonderful and illustrious senior citizen, as well as a publisher par excellence, who, despite his Dutch heritage, was a naturalised Nigerian and made the country his home for 59 of his 94 years on earth. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Dr Okediran is a writer, public servant and former President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).
