Nigerian author, poet, and filmmaker Godspower Oshodin has released his debut novel, ‘Even the Devil Wears a Pretty Smile’. The announcement included a plan for a book tour across selected African countries, starting in November.

According to Mr Oshodin in a statement on Tuesday, the novel, published by the Africa Literature Trust Fund, is available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.

According to him, the novel examines power, loyalty, ambition and silence, with its storyline moving from Kirikiri prison to Abuja and other cities. He said the book has a foreword by Gbenga Komolafe, former chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Mr Komolafe described the novel as an engagement with difficult subjects and called for more African writers to explore such themes through literature.

“This is not a comfortable book, and it is not meant to be,” Mr Komolafe wrote in the foreword.

Mr Oshodin said he conceived the title in 2012 and shared it with his friend, Victor Jideofor, aka Phlame Nations. He later narrated the story to Mr Jideofor and others in Lagos in 2013, adding that they suggested adapting it into a film.

He decided to develop the story as a novel, which he completed 14 years after conceiving the title.

“The man who finished this book has learned a great deal and seen a great deal since,” Mr Oshodin said.

He said his travels to 77 countries and 103 cities shaped his perspective and the novel’s development.

Mr Oshodin said the African tour would include readings, author conversations, media interviews and book signings. He said he would announce the tour dates and cities later.

Mr Oshodin is also a journalist and media strategist. His film works include ‘The Scale (Tears for Enebi)’ 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.

The Africa Literature Trust Fund promotes reading, writing and multilingual culture in Nigeria and across Africa.

(NAN)