Toni Kan’s ‘Nights of the Creaking Bed’ hits UK stores

Cassava Republic, leading African book publishing company, has announced the release of the UK edition of ‘Nights of the Creaking Bed,’ a short story collection by Toni Kan.

Released on Tuesday, the critically acclaimed book is now available in stores in the UK. It will also be the first book to be released under Cassava Shorts, the company’s new imprint.

‘Nights of the Creaking Bed’ is a collection of 15 tales about love, rage, fear, violence, and kindness, where “hope is often extinguished but the human spirit prevails”.

First published in 2019, the UK edition will feature new stories and a brand new cover that explains the yellow of Lagos danfos.

The ‘Nights of the Creaking Bed’ was well received by authors and journalists in Nigeria and across the world.

Chika Unigwe, author of ‘On Black Sisters Street,’ described the book as “a brash and vibrant collection that brims all at once with sadness and humor; suffering and compassion; longing and loss.”

“Toni Kan is an astute observer of human nature and writes convincingly about the ineluctable  grasp of poverty and culture on his characters,” she added.

In his own part, Zukiswa Wanner, a South African journalist and novelist, said that “in Nights of the Creaking Bed, Toni Kan holds a mirror to humanity’s ability to love tenderly one minute and destroy cruelly in the next, thus capturing with style the complexity and unpredictability of not just his characters but ourselves. A necessary addition to the library of any discerning reader.”

For Michael Sears, the collection’s “lyrical prose and harsh insights make each story a sweet and sour treat.”

Sefi Atta, author of ‘Every Thing Good Will Come,’ also gave her two cents on Kan’s work.

“Beginning with deliberate brevity and ending on a note of lush lyricism, these fascinating vignettes of Lagos life showcase an array of peripatetic characters who are hopelessly stuck in their dilemmas,” she said.

Kan also took to social media to express his delight about the book’s new look and inform fans that the ‘Nights of the Creaking Bed’ is now available in stores across the UK

“New look. New Imprint. New stories! The UK edition of my award winning short story collection, Nights of the Creaking Bed, hits the shelves from today,” he wrote.

“This news makes me happy on several levels. Nights was published 10 years ago but it has never gone out of print and has been used by over 30 people I know for their theses or dissertations. Secondly, it was my first properly published book with a proper publisher, contract and royalties.

“But above all it is the first book to be issued under Cassava Republic’s new imprint; Cassava Shorts. Every writer wants to publish a  work that endures and defines him, It is early days yet but Nights remains a gift that keeps giving.”

Kan is the author of four critically acclaimed works of fiction and poetry, including ‘The Carnivorous City’ (Cassava Republic, 2016).

The Lagos based editor was the winner of the NDDC/Ken Saro Wiwa literature prize (2009), awarded by the association of Nigerian authors (ANA). He is also publisher of sabinews.com and a fellow of the Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Civitella Ranieri and Yaddo.