8-year-old Kamsiyochukwu Anusi makes literary history

By Damiete Braide

With the publication of Round of the Shining Egg, a 42-page collection of 42 stories by Master Kamsiyochukwu Anusi, a student of Maryville Academy, Port Harcourt, by Phoenix Publishers, the author has become the second youngest author in Nigeria.

Round of the Shining Egg sheds light on education, relationship, governance, family, banking, environment, and oil exploration.

In an interview with Daily Sun, the whizkid said: “I started writing at the age of 7. My love for writing and also the story books my father bought for me inspired me to write. My book is also a product of my imagination.”

Adventure Round the Shining Egg is a compilation of thirteen interesting short stories teeming with morals. One of the interesting stories in the collection is “Be Brave Even in Difficult Situation” (The Brave Little Chicken).

For him, “Writing is attractive to me, because it  makes me share my knowledge with other children. It helps me understand things very well.”

His schoolmates are excited with the budding literary star. He said: “They felt happy and excited and wanted to emulate me. My teachers are also very proud of me.”

Writing at a very young age makes him special. “I am the second youngest author in Nigeria, after Hafeezat. I am third in Africa and is listed among the sixth youngest authors in the world.”

While some stories in the collection took him one week to write, others took two weeks or more. It wouldn’t have been possible to be a writer without the support of his parents. “They supported me by encouraging me to do more and not give up even when I am tired,” he said.

Obviously a multi-talented kid, he is also good at football. No wonder, he would like to combine writing and football in the future: “I also want to be a footballer in the future,” he said. The Basic 4 pupil is currently working on a new story.