"It's entitled 'Tanga.' It's subtitled 'A Novel of Forbidden Love in an African Village.' I started writing it several years ago when I was in an MFA program at San Diego University. It's inspired by my Peace Corps service in Gabon, Africa. About 10 years later, I wrote most of the book. It's what I like to call an irresistible love story -- an interracial, multicultural love story between a white male Peace Corps volunteer and an African woman from a fictional country in Africa."
3_1_EL06_5QS_S1-090906.article, Gabon RPCV Eric Madeen writes "Tanga"
Global citizen comes home
Former Elginite, Eric Madeen in town to promote novel about life in Africa, work with Peace Corps
September 6, 2009
Caption: Former Elgin resident turned author Eric Madeen, accompanied by his mother, Anne, reads a few verses Thursday at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, prior to speaking about his new book "Tanga," written about his adventures in Africa. Dave Shields | For The Courier-News
That's how Madeen -- author of the novel "Tanga" -- ended up in Gabon, Africa, for two years with the Peace Corps. In Gabon, he supervised the construction of a school in the rural village of Djidjidi.
"There were a lot of great experiences that got into the book and my imagination," he said.
Almost 30 years later, Madeen now lives outside Tokyo, Japan, with his wife Julie and their children Hunter, 5, and Addisyn, 4. He is an associate professor of English at Tokyo City University and writes articles for several publications in Asia.
The Larkin High School graduate came home to Elgin this week to talk about "Tanga" on WRMN 1410 AM Tuesday morning and at Gail Borden Public Library Thursday night.
In case you missed him, The Courier-News talked with Madeen about his first novel and his adventures in writing.
1. What's your new book about? "It's entitled 'Tanga.' It's subtitled 'A Novel of Forbidden Love in an African Village.' I started writing it several years ago when I was in an MFA program at San Diego University.
"It's inspired by my Peace Corps service in Gabon, Africa. About 10 years later, I wrote most of the book. It's what I like to call an irresistible love story -- an interracial, multicultural love story between a white male Peace Corps volunteer and an African woman from a fictional country in Africa."
2. The scene in which your hero David is lost in the rain forest was inspired by an experience you had in Africa, right? "I was out hunting, and I was following monkeys. We ate anything. We ate monkeys. I was looking up in the (tree) canopy and instead of following the trails, I was following the monkeys in the trees. When I lost them, I fired and missed, I got turned around, and I got lost.
"The first night, I tried building a fire, but my lighter ran out. The second night, I tried building a line out of branches south to the village, but I had to go through swamps. The third night, I heard a crashing sound coming through the trees, and I thought it was elephants. So I made a noise, and it went around me...."
"The chief had a prophetic dream the night before, and his dead father told him in the dream where to find me. It was a joyous reunion."
3. You've helped build a school in Africa. You now teach English in Japan. Why write? "I always loved writing, and part of why I went to Africa was to have something to write about -- to help people and to have adventures to write about. From a very young age, I wanted to write, and I wanted to teach, so those things came together for me."
4. What appeals to you about living overseas? "If you want to write, you have to leave home. You have to challenge yourself -- strike out for new vistas. There always are new things to learn. In Japan, I'm always learning the language and learning the culture and learning more about my own culture. That's something that's very refreshing."
5. How often do you come back to Elgin? What do you miss most about Elgin and the U.S.? "We try to come back every year. I have a lot of roots here. My grandfather Herman Kellenberger started Kellenberger Auto in 1939. Over 300 Kellenbergers from Herman's family -- most of them are in the area. Going to Friday night all-you-can-eat fish frys, my wife and I talk about quite a bit. We love going out to eat for surf and turf and margaritas."
