Teju Cole on Creative Precision

Portrait of Teju Cole.
I have been especially busy this year as I worked on finishing two books. Black Paper had a long gestation period because it includes essays from a span of many years. In it, I contemplate shadows and darkness—and, of course, the color black—all of which have strongly positive aspects for me. Darkness, for example, can be used as a form of protection in the wild. Ultimately, these are all essays that emerged in response to Donald Trump’s presidency. But t