Peter Godwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Godwin
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| Born | 4 December 1957 |
| Occupation | Journalist, author/memoirist |
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Notable credit(s)
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Foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times
Author of Mukiwa: White Boy in Africa Author of When A Crocodile Eats The Sun Author of The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe |
| Spouse(s) |
Joanna Coles
(m. 2001; div. 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
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Peter Godwin (born on December 4, 1957) is a writer, journalist, and filmmaker from Zimbabwe. He is also a former lawyer who worked to protect human rights. Peter Godwin is well-known for his books about the changes and challenges in his home country, Zimbabwe. He has traveled and reported from over 60 countries around the world. From 2012 to 2015, he was the president of the PEN American Center, an organization that supports writers and human rights. He currently lives in Manhattan, New York.
Contents
Early Life and School
Peter Godwin's mother was a medical doctor from England. She moved to Southern Rhodesia (which is now Zimbabwe) when she was in her twenties. His father, Kazimierz Goldfarb, was a Polish engineer. He moved to Rhodesia from England after marrying Peter's mother.
For many years, Peter's father did not tell his children about his Jewish background. This was because his own parents and aunts had been killed during the Holocaust, a terrible time when many Jewish people were persecuted. To stay safe, Peter's father used the name George Godwin.
Peter grew up in Rhodesia and went to St. George's College. When he was seventeen, he joined the British South Africa Police and fought in the Rhodesian Bush War. In 1978, his older sister Jain and her fiancé died in an attack. His other sister, Georgina Godwin, is also a journalist and broadcaster.
Peter Godwin studied law at Cambridge University in England. He also studied international relations at Oxford University.
Peter Godwin's Career
Starting as a Journalist
Peter Godwin worked as a foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times newspaper in London. He reported on wars in countries like Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Later, he became the main correspondent for the BBC's foreign affairs show. He directed documentaries about places like Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and the Balkans.
He also wrote some early books. These include Rhodesians Never Die, which he wrote with Ian Hancock. He also co-wrote The Three of Us with Joanna Coles and Wild at Heart with photographer Chris Johns.
Writing for Newspapers and Magazines
Peter Godwin writes for important publications like The New York Times and Vanity Fair. In 2008, he wrote an article in the Times about two small islands, Likoma and Chizumulu, located in Lake Malawi. He has also reviewed books for The New York Times Book Review.
In 2007, he asked the international community to help the people of Zimbabwe. He believed that South African president Thabo Mbeki had a special duty to help because South Africa had also received help during its own struggles. In 2008, Godwin suggested that if countries pulled out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, it might encourage Mbeki to use his country's power to help end Robert Mugabe's rule in Zimbabwe.
Other Important Work
In 2012, Peter Godwin became the President of PEN American Center. This is a very old and large organization that supports writers and human rights around the world. On March 20, 2012, he read poems by Liu Xiaobo, a writer who was in prison. He did this with the outgoing PEN America President, Kwame Anthony Appiah.
Godwin is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has received special fellowships, like the Guggenheim Fellow and the Orwell Fellow. He has also taught writing at universities such as The New School, Princeton University, and Columbia University.
Books and Documentaries
Early Films
Peter Godwin made a film in 1993. It was an investigation into a difficult topic in Thailand.
Mukiwa
In 1997, Godwin published his book Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa. This book is a memoir, which means it's a true story about his own life. It tells about growing up in Southern Rhodesia in the 1960s and 1970s during the Rhodesian Bush War. The Boston Globe newspaper called it "devastatingly brilliant" and "one of the best memoirs to come out of Africa." The book won The Orwell Prize in 1997.
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun
In 2006, his second memoir, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun, was published. This book tells the story of his father's later life. It also shares how Peter discovered his father's Polish Jewish family history. The story is set against the background of modern-day Zimbabwe.
The Fear
Godwin's book, The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe (2011), describes a difficult time in Zimbabwe. It tells about the violence and torture that happened after the ruler, Robert Mugabe, lost an election. Peter Godwin was interviewed on the Fresh Air radio show (NPR) in March 2011. He talked about the situation in Zimbabwe after the 2008 general election.
The Fear was chosen as one of the best books of 2011 by The New Yorker, The Economist, and Publishers Weekly.
Exit Wounds
Peter Godwin's fourth memoir, Exit Wounds, was published in September 2024 by Canongate Books.
Personal Life
Peter Godwin was married to Joanna Coles. They lived in Upper West Side of Manhattan with their sons, Thomas and Hugo. They also had a dog named Phoebe. Their daughter, Holly, lives in the UK. Joanna Coles filed for divorce from Godwin in July 2019.
