Charles Mungoshi facts for kids
Charles Lovemore Mungoshi (born December 2, 1947 – died February 16, 2019) was a famous writer from Zimbabwe. He wrote many different kinds of stories, novels, and even poetry. He was known for writing in both the Shona language and English.
Contents
A Writer's Journey and Achievements
Charles Mungoshi wrote many interesting books, including short stories and novels. He wrote in both his native language, Shona, and in English. He also wrote poems, but he thought of them as just a "finger exercise," meaning they were easy for him.
His writing covered many topics. He wrote about the struggles people faced when his country was under colonial rule. Later, he wrote about the challenges in Zimbabwe after it became independent. He even wrote books especially for children! Besides writing, he also worked as an editor and a translator.
Awards and Recognitions
Charles Mungoshi won many important awards for his writing.
- He won the Noma Award in 1992. This award is for books published in Africa.
- He won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa Region) two times, in 1988 and 1998.
- Two of his novels, one in Shona and one in English, both won International PEN Awards in 1975.
- His first Shona novel was Makunun'unu Maodzamoyo.
- His English short story collection, Some Kinds of Wounds, was not allowed to be sold by the government at the time.
- Another Shona novel, Kunyarara Hakusi Kutaura, also won several awards.
- His play Inongova Njakenjake showed how good he was at writing different types of stories.
- In 2014, his book Branching Streams Flow in the Dark won a National Arts Merit Award.
His Family and Life
Charles Mungoshi had a brother named David Mungoshi, who was also a writer.
Charles Mungoshi was married to Jesesi Mungoshi. She is an actress who starred in the 1993 Zimbabwean film Neria. This film was written by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Charles Mungoshi also acted in some local Zimbabwean TV shows in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He had a role in a show called Ndabvezera.
He received an honorary degree from the University of Zimbabwe. This is a special award given by a university to honor someone's achievements.
Charles Mungoshi passed away in Harare, Zimbabwe, on February 16, 2019.
Images for kids
-
Charles Mungoshi (1998)
