AFRICA'S first professor of English and the enigmatic John Pepper Clark celebrated his birthday on Tuesday. But significantly, a new, definitive book on the man, who admitted to a certain aloofness, was also presented to the public. The book, JP Clark: A Voyage, is written by the eminent dramatist, poet, novelist and essayist, Prof. Femi Osofisan.Held at the scenic waterfront of Lagos Motor Boat Club overlooking Ikoyi, the event itself was a spectacular one as it boasted a distinguished audience from the academia and business world. Indeed, the waterfront setting was reminiscent of some of Clark's iconic plays like The Raft and Song of a Goat. The ambience lent itself to visual poetry for which Clark is an acclaimed master.It was the author of the celebratory work, Osofisan, who first to give insight into the kind of man Clark is, when he refers to him as an enigma in the book. He said, 'To most of my generation. He had a terrible and terrifying reputation. He was said to be rude, and reclusive and arrogant, and hostile to critics ' he was, in short, the full incarnation of his name, 'Pepper'!'But in sheer contrast, however, and what made this fearsome picture so perplexing, was the seductive resonance of his early work. How could a poet with such an appealing pen, who knew how to create such magical enchantment with words, be aloof or unapproachable' How could he move from poetry of such romantic elan to this almost lapidary muteness' How did his early and extraordinary accomplishment, precocious by all comparisons, come to suffer such a baffling eclipse' No one dared approached him to ask''It was in order to answer these baffling questions that Osofisan set out on a journey to unearth the essential JP Clark, a journey that took him to Clark's country home, Kiagbodo, Delta State. It is also a journey that was to take Osofisan round Nigeria in its five decades of literary engagement.And, when he met Clark, Osofisan found him 'totally different from this ogre he was supposed to be. Among other things, I was struck by his palpable humanenes. How and when did he change then' When you read this book, you will find the answer. But the JP I have come to know is indeed careless, but caring; he is notoriously impatient with fools and hypocrites, but he is uncommonly candid and kind. Yes, you can accuse him of nursing a big and perhaps extravagant ego, but he is not worse that other gifted people we know. Genius, we must admit, will have its quirks and eccentricities'.Culture landscapist, Toyin Akinosho, reviewed the book. Then Clark's university mate, Prof. Abiola Irele, made brief remarks about the book and another book commissioned by Clark on himself that has since turned controversial and ended in a court litigation. The book, A Peculiar Tragedy: J. P. Clark-Bekederemo and the Beginning of Modern Nigerian Literature in English by Adewale Maja-Pearce drew the angst of Irele and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.Irele noted what Maja-Pearce has done with his book on Clark is to present a different worldview of Clark from the one they know, adding, 'What Maja-Pearce has done is character assassination. What he has said is that Clark isn't recognised internationally like the others. But we should begin to assert our own cultural creations and identity; they don't have to be sanctioned by the West or America for them to have relevance. We have to set a precedence of having our own writers to be read and be appreciated at home.'In other words, we must have publishing houses available here to be able to share materials just like Bankole Olayebi is doing with Bookcraft in publishing this book. He has done well. But he still prints abroad. This is a great occasion; it gives me pleasure to be here'.Chief Doig Simound, a white man, praised and thanked Clark for saving him and his white crew from being thrown into the river to appease the river goddess sometime back in 1974, when he wanted to make Clark's Ozidi Saga into a film.Prof. Olu Obafemi said Osofisan was mischievous to have made him look like a fictional character in the book 'as he tagged me along on a journey I went to enjoy myself'. He confessed to the heroism he saw amongst the women in Kiagbodo in their remarkable industry, saying, 'I'm not sure what the men were doing, but many were drinking; the women are heroic. JP is a profoundly humane personality'.Former federal culture director, Frank Aig-Imoukhuede, highlighted Clark's rascality, especially his reckless driving habits, which Soyinka also testified to. Aig-Imoukhuede's mother, who was to travel to Ibadan from Lagos with Clark, had to disembark from the car on account of his reckless driving!He also gave account of how Clark started out wearing suites and shoes that echoed down the hall, and how he eventually discarded them for simple shirts and shorts, for which he held Soyinka responsible.But it was Soyinka, closest to Clark among his contemporaries, who gave intimate insight into their lives together while at Ibadan. He stated, 'I don't understand why JP is being described as an enigma. He's very much like his name ' Pepper! With different flavour and texture; he's peppery. Pepper is multi-varied and has many directions. You take some and leave some; some give you the diarrhea even. I'm an expert on pepper and on Clark from way back. The problem with JP is that very often, he behaves as if he has no humour'.Thereafter, Soyinka took a swipe at Maja-Pearce for writing what he described as 'the most inaccurate writing with so many lies, and written in the most unprincipled way; and he summons names to support his lies. No self-respecting publisher would touch the book'.Soyinka said Osofisan's book couldn't have come at a better time than now. He also noted that when he started reading JP Clark: A Voyage, he felt unease with Osofisan's style, 'But as I read on, I became fascinated. Osofisan cheated, but it is very creative cheating'.
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