In 2021, Ben Okri was granted the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2023 Okri received a knighthood from King Charles III His latest piece of writing comes in the form of a small book titled ‘Tiger Work’ DUBAI: One of Britain"s acclaimed poets, Sir Ben Okri, gave a memorable afternoon talk at Dubai’s Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on Saturday. Okri, donning his signature beret, is so full of wisdom that one can"t help but jot down some of his simple yet profound thoughts on writing, life and imagination. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle On writing, he said: “The subject chooses you,” “literature is very important in these times” and “you can live with a sentence for a whole day.” As for dreams and reality, he believes that “your dream is a complete reality” and “reality is a mystery.” Okri, who was born in Nigeria in 1959, was a recipient of the UK"s top literary award, The Booker Prize, in 1991. He won the award for his magical realism novel “The Famished Road,” becoming the first Black author to win the prize, as well as the youngest at the age of 32. In 2001, Okri was granted the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and in 2023 Okri received a knighthood from King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. Some of the topics he has explored include the world environment, society, history and loss. Ben Okri was granted the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). (Supplied) His latest piece of writing comes in the form of a small book titled “Tiger Work.” It features poems and short stories that revolve around climate change. “The facts are horrific,” he writes. “The evidence overwhelming. And we still carry on as if no crisis were looming. Thunder hovers above our roofs. Earth shakes beneath our floors. What can one say to those who either don"t want to hear, or have heard enough? What can one say that doesn"t paralyze some with the sheer scale of the problem?” One of the festival"s key speakers at the Dubai event, Okri, also recited his poetry during the festival"s “Desert Stanzas” opening event. He was accompanied by his young daughter Mirabella, who recited her own poem as well. During the session, Okri delved into the rapidly introduced changes societies, past and present, have lived through, such as how people access information. “Every new form threatens what"s already settled. . . The human spirit has to keep moving forward.” In “Tiger Work,” Okri wrote a simple instruction to the reader before reading: “Read Slowly,” he advised in italics. “I think people read too fast. They talk too fast,” he told the audience. “We live too fast. . . We equate speed with success. I think it’s a flawed relationship.”