This is a list of prominent and notable writers from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. It includes
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
s,
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
s,
children's writer
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
s,
essayist
An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
s, and
scholar
A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...
List of Algerian writers
This is a list of notable Algerian writers:
A
*Ferhat Abbas (1899–1985), political leader and essayist
*Mohamed Aïchaoui (1921–1959), political leader and journalist
* Salim Aïssa, pseudonym of Boukella, writer of detective fiction
* W ...
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
Unity Dow
Unity Dow ( Diswai; born 23 April 1959) is a Motswana lawyer, human rights activist, specially elected member of parliament, and a writer. She formerly served as a judge on the High Court of Botswana and in various government ministries. Born ...
(1959–), judge, human rights activist, writer and minister of basic education
*
Bessie Head
Bessie Amelia Emery Head (6 July 1937 – 17 April 1986) was a South African writer who, though born in South Africa, is usually considered Botswana's most influential writer. She wrote novels, short fiction and autobiographical works that are ...
(1937–1986), novelist and short-story writer born in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
*
Leetile Disang Raditladi
Leetile Disang Raditladi (1910–1971) was a Motswana playwright and poet. He was born in Serowe and got his education in Tiger Kloof, Lovedale and Fort Hare University. A prolific author, he had his first book, a biography of Khama III, accept ...
(1910–1971), playwright and poet
* Barolong Seboni (1957–), poet and academic
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
''See:
List of Cameroonian writers
This is a list of Cameroonian writers.
* Boé A-Amang (1938– ), playwright and theatre director
* Severin Cecile Abega (1955–2008), French-language fiction writer and anthropologist, author of ''Les Bimanes'', ''Le Bourreau'' and ''Entre Te ...
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
*
Pierre Makombo Bamboté
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
(1932–), novelist and poet
* Etienne Goyémidé (1942–1997), novelist, poet and short story writer: ''Le Silence de la Foret''
*
Blaise N'Djehoya Blaise is a personal name (from Greek Βλασιος, the name of Saint Blaise) and a place name. It can refer to:
People
* Blaise (name), including lists of people with the given name or surname ''Blaise''
Places
France
* Blaise-sous-Arz ...
Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
Koulsy Lamko
Koulsy Lamko (born 1959) is a Chadian-born playwright, poet, novelist and university lecturer. Born in Dadouar, Lamko left his country for Burkina Faso in 1979 due to the beginning of the civil war. There, he became acquainted with Thomas Sank ...
(1959–), playwright, poet, novelist and university lecturer
*
Joseph Brahim Seid
Joseph Brahim Seid (1927 in N'Djamena – 1980) was a Chadian writer and politician. He served as Minister of Justice from 1966 to 1975. As a writer he is known for the works ''Au Tchad sous les étoiles'' ("In Chad under the stars", 1962) and ...
(1927–1980), writer and politician
*
Ahmat Taboye Ahmat Taboye is a literary critic from Chad. As head of the Department of Letters at the University of N'Djamena, he published ''Anthologie de la littérature tchadienne'' in 2003, which covers 40 years of Chadian literature. In May 2007, the Minist ...
, literary critic
Congo (Brazzaville)
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
''See:
List of Ivorian writers
This is a list of Ivory Coast, Ivorian writers.
* Josette Abondio (b. 1949), novelist, children's writer, playwright
* Marguerite Abouet, born in Abidjan (b. 1971), writer of graphic novels
* Francois-Joseph Amon d'Aby (1913–2007)
* Raphael Att ...
''
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
''See:
List of Egyptian writers
This is a list of Egyptian Writers.
A
Hussein Abdelfatah
* Abaza family
* Fekry Pasha Abaza (1896–1979)
* Abdel Rahman El Abnudi (1938–2015)
* Ahmed Zaki Abu Shadi (1892–1955)
* Yasser Abdel Hafez (1969– )
* Ibrahim Abdel Meguid (1 ...
''
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
Justo Bolekia Boleká
Justo Bolekia Boleká (born December 13, 1954 in Santiago de Baney, Bioko, Equatorial Guinea) is an Equatorial Guinean scholar and writer of Bubi descent.
Life and career
He attended college at Complutense University of Madrid obtaining a Docto ...
(1954–), professor and Bubi writer
* Juan Balboa Boneke (1938–2014), politician and writer
*
Raquel Ilombé
Raquel del Pozo Epita (1938–1992), known as Raquel Ilombé, was an Equatorial Guinean poet and author, who wrote in Spanish language, Spanish.
Background and early life
She was born in Spanish Guinea (today Equatorial Guinea), on the island ...
(1938–1992), Spanish-language writer
*
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel
Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel (born 6 November 1966) is an Equatoguinean author and activist. His parents were from the remote island of Annobón, off the West African coast. He is at the center of the feature award-winning documentary ''The Writer Fr ...
(1966–), Annobonese writer
*
Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo
Donato Francisco Ndongo-Bidyogo Makina (born 12 December 1950), known as Donato Ndongo, is an Equatoguinean journalist and writer who was one of the most prominent members of Hispanic African movement within the Spanish-speaking world.
Early l ...
(1950–), writer and journalist
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
*
Hamid Barole Abdu
Hamid Barole Abdu (born October 10, 1953, in Asmara) is an Eritrean writer.
After studying literature in Eritrea, he moved to Modena, Italy, in 1974, where he has worked as an intercultural expert and has published several articles about the mi ...
Saba Kidane Saba Kidane (born 1978) is an Eritrean journalist, poet, and political activist. Early life
Born in Asmara, Saba Kidane dropped out of school and joined the Eritrean People's Liberation Front at the age of 13. She returned to school in 1995. She wa ...
(1978–),
Tigrinya
(; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.
History and literatur ...
poet
*
Hannah Pool
Hannah Azieb Pool (born 1974) is a British–Eritrean writer and journalist. She was born near the town of Keren in Eritrea during the war for independence from Ethiopia. She is a former staff writer for ''The Guardian'' newspaper, and writes ...
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
*
Sahle Selassie
Sahle Selassie ( Amharic: ሣህለ ሥላሴ, 1795 – 22 October 1847) was a ruler and later King of Shewa from 1813 to 1847. An important Amhara noble of Ethiopia, he was a younger son of Wossen Seged. Sahle Selassie was the father of nume ...
Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin
Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin ( am, ጸጋዬ ገብረ መድኅን; 17 August 1936 – 25 February 2006) was an Ethiopian poet and novelist. His novels and poets evoke retrospective narratives, fanciful epics, and nationalistic cannonations. Tsegay is co ...
Tsehay Melaku
Tsehay Melaku (born ) is an Ethiopian writer. She has been called the first contemporary Ethiopian woman novelist, part of a wave of women writers who entered the literary scene in the early 1990s.
Early life and teaching career
Tsehay was born ...
Nega Mezlekia
Nega Mezlekia (Amharic: ነጋ መዝለቂያ; born 1958) is an Ethiopian writer who writes in English. His first language is the Amharic language, but since the 1980s he has lived in Canada so speaks and writes in English.
Nega was born in Jijig ...
Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British author and broadcaster. Sissay was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, has been chancellor of the University of Manchester since 2015, and joined the Foundling Museum's board of trus ...
(1967–)
*
Hama Tuma
Hama Tuma (born May 25, 1949) is an Ethiopian poet and writer in the Amharic and English languages.
Biography
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tuma studied Law in Addis Ababa University. He became an advocate for democracy and justice. This has ca ...
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
*
Jean-Baptiste Abessolo
Jean-Baptiste Nguema Abessolo, also seen as J.-B. Abessolo-Nguema, (born 15 February 1932) is an educator and writer from Gabon.
Born at Oyem, he was educated there and at Libreville, then studied educational administration at École des Cadres ...
(1932–), educator and short story writer
* Peggy Lucie Auleley, born French-language poet
*
Bessora
Bessora (born 1968, Brussels, Belgium) is a novelist and short story writer. After a career in international finance in Geneva, she studied anthropology and wrote her first novel. Since 1999 Bessora has published a book a year on average, mainly ...
(1968–, in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
), novelist and short story writer
* Charline Effah (1977–), French-language novelist and educator
* Rene Maran, born near
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
(1887–1960), poet and novelist
*
Chantal Magalie Mbazoo-Kassa Chantal Magalie Mbazo'o-Kassa (born 23 March 1967) is a Gabonese poet and novelist.
Life
Chantal Magalie Mbazo'o-Kassa was born on 23 March 1967 at Bitam to an ethnically Fang people, Fang family in Woleu-Ntem Province. After secondary school and u ...
, French-language poet and novelist
* Justine Mintsa (1967–), French-language novelist
* Nadège Noëlle Ango Obiang (1973–), French-language short story writer
* Nadia Origo (1977–), novelist and publisher
* Honorine Ngou (1957–), novelist and academic
*
Vincent de Paul Nyonda
Vincent de Paul Nyonda (1918 – 20 January 1995) was a Gabonese playwright and Minister (government), Minister.
Nyonda served under the administration of the first Gabonese President Léon M'ba, and was a prominent political figure in that admi ...
The Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
''See:
List of Ghanaian writers
This is a list of Ghanaian writers.
A
* Joseph Wilfred Abruquah (1920–1997), novelist
* Geormbeeyi Adali-Mortty (1916–), poet
* Kobena Eyi Acquah (1952–), poet
* Kofi Acquah-Dadzie (1939–), jurist, and writer
* Francis Agbodeka (1 ...
''
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...
*
Amílcar Cabral
Amílcar Lopes da Costa Cabral (; – ) was a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, pan-Africanist, intellectual, poet, theoretician, revolutionary, political organizer, nationalist and diplomat. He was one of Africa's forem ...
(1924–1973), agronomist, writer and politician
*
Vasco Cabral
Vasco Cabral (1926–2005) was a Bissau-Guinean writer and politician.Infopedia .
He was minister of economy and finance a ...
(1926–2005)
*
José Carlos Schwarz
José Carlos Schwarz ( Bissau, December 6, 1949 – Havana, May 27, 1977) was a Bissau-Guinean poet and musician. Biography
José Carlos Schwarz was born in Bissau (Portuguese Guinea) from well-to-do parents of Cape Verdean, Portuguese Guinean ...
(1949–1977), poet and musician
* Fausto Duarte (1903–1953), from Cape Verde
*
Carlos Lopes
Carlos Alberto de Sousa Lopes, GCIH (, born 18 February 1947) is a Portuguese former long-distance runner.
He won the marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming Portugal's first Olympic gold medalist and setting an Olympic ...
(1960–)
*
Hélder Proença Hélder is a given name in Portuguese. The unrelated German-Jewish surname "Helder" is also given the accent in Portuguese, such as the Portuguese poet Herberto Hélder (1930-).
The name is sometimes confused with Heitor. People named Hélder incl ...
Abdulai Silla
Abd Allah ( ar, عبدالله, translit=ʻAbd Allāh), also spelled Abdallah, Abdellah, Abdollah, Abdullah and many others, is an Arabic name meaning "Servant of God". It is built from the Arabic words '' abd'' () and '' Allāh'' (). Although the ...
(1958–)
Kenya
)
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, capital = Nairobi
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, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
''See:
List of Kenyan writers
This is a list of Demographics of Kenya, Kenyan writers.
A
* Justus Kiprono (2019–)
* Abdilatif Abdalla (1946–)
* Carolyne Adalla
* Jared Angira (1947–), poet
* Jonah Anguka
* Khadambi Asalache (1934–), poet and author
B
* Karen Blixen ...
''
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
*
David Cranmer Theko Bereng
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
Thomas Mofolo
Thomas Mokopu Mofolo (22 December 1876 – 8 September 1948) is considered the greatest Basotho author. He wrote mostly in the Sesotho language, but his most popular book, '' Chaka'', has been translated into English and other languages.
Biography ...
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
Edward Wilmot Blyden
Edward Wilmot Blyden (3 August 1832 – 7 February 1912) was a Liberian educator, writer, diplomat, and politician who was primarily active in West Africa. Born in the Danish West Indies, he joined the waves of black immigrants from the ...
(1832–1912), born in the
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...
(see also
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
Wilton G. S. Sankawulo
Wilton Gbakolo Sengbe Sankawulo, Sr. (26 July 1937 –21 February 2009) was a Liberian politician and author.
Biography
Sankawulo was born in 1937 in Haindi in Lower Bong County. He began his education in kpolopele Lutheran Mission, near Han ...
(1937–2009), politician and author
*
Vamba Sherif
Vamba Sherif (born 1973) is a Liberian-born writer residing in the Netherlands. He writes in English and Dutch. His 2015 novel ''The Emperor's Son'' deals with Samori Toure, who founded a great empire in northwestern Africa in the 19th century ...
(1973–)
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
Ahmed Fagih
Ahmed Ibrahim al-Fagih (Arabic: أحمد إبراهيم الفقيه ''’áħmad 'Ibrāhīm al-faqīh'') (December 28, 1942 – April 30, 2019) was a Libyan novelist, playwright, essayist, journalist and diplomat. He began writing short stories ...
(1942–2019), novelist
*
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
Latifa al-Zayyat
Latifa al-Zayyat ( ar, لطيفة الزيات) (8 August 1923 – 10 September 1996) was an Egyptian activist and writer, most famous for her novel ''The Open Door'', which won the inaugural Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature.
Biography
Al Zay ...
(1923–1996), activist and novelist
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
''See:
List of Malagasy writers
This is a list of Malagasy writers.
* Elie-Charles Abraham (1919– ), poet
* Victor Georges Andriananjason (1940– ), musician and non-fiction writer
* Lucile Allorge (1937– ), botanist
* David Jaomanoro (1953– ), poet, short story wri ...
''
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
* Tito Banda (1950–2014), novelist, academic
* Ezra Jofiya Chadza (1923–1985), poet and novelist
* William Chafulumira (1908–1981), writer on social issues
* Yesaya Chibambo, author of ''A Short History of the Ngoni'' (1933), translated into English by Rev. Charles Stuart.
* Shadreck Chikoti (b. 1979), writer and social activist
* Steve Chimombo (1945–2015), writer, poet, editor and teacherKillam, Douglas & Ruth Rowe, eds., ''The Companion to African Literatures''. James Currey & Indiana University Press; 2000.
* Frank Chipasula (b. 1949), poet, writer, editor, publisher and academic
* Reuben Chirambo (d. 2011), scholar of African literature
* Robert Chiwamba, poet
* Tobias Dossi, author of a novel (1958) and humorous short stories (1965) in Chichewa.
* Aloysius Dziko, author of a novel in Chichewa (1965).Chimombo, Steve, (1987 "Creative Writing in Malawi: A Bibliography" ''Research in African Literatures'', Vol. 18, No. 3, Special Issue on the Concept of National Literature (Autumn, 1987), pp. 336-339
*
Walije Gondwe Walije Gondwe (born 1936) is a writer who was the first Malawian woman novelist to have her work published. Most of her books are young adult fiction published in the 1980s and 1990s. She now runs an educational charity, Vinjeru.
Early years
She ...
(b. 1936), Malawi's first female novelist
* John Gwengwe, author of novels in Chichewa (1965, 1968).
*
Aubrey Kachingwe
Aubrey Kachingwe (born 1926) African People Database is a
William Kamkwamba
William Kamkwamba (born August 5, 1987) is a Malawian inventor, engineer, and author. He gained renown in his country in 2001 when he built a wind turbine to power multiple electrical appliances in his family's house in Wimbe, 23 km (14 mi) ea ...
Whyghtone Kamthunzi Whyghtone Kamthunzi (31 July 1956 - 18 May 2000) was a leading writer in the Chichewa language of Malawi in the 1980s and 1990s.
Kamthunzi was born in the village of Njolomole in Ntcheu district in Malawi. His father was a school teacher. After at ...
(1956–2000), novelist in Chichewa
* Legson Kayira (1942–2012), novelist and autobiographer
* Stanley Onjezani Kenani (b. 1976), writer and poet
*
Ken Lipenga
Ken Diston Lipenga (born 14 February 1952) is a Malawian politician, journalist, and writer. He was the Member of Parliament for Phalombe East from 1997 to 2014. He has served in various ministerial positions.
Personal life
Ken Diston Lipenga w ...
Jack Mapanje
Jack Mapanje (born 25 March 1944)Emily Mkamanga (b. 1949), novelist and social commentator
* Felix Mnthali (b. 1933), poet, novelist and playwright
* Francis Moto (b. 1952), writer, academic, and diplomat
*
Sam Mpasu Sam Mpasu (17 September 1945 – 15 February 2018) was a Malawian politician, author, and former diplomat. He served as Minister of Commerce, Secretary General of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1999, and speaker of the Malawi National Assembl ...
(b. 1945), novelist and politician; author of prison memoirs
*
Edison Mpina
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as Electricity generation, electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and Motion p ...
(1946–2001), poet
* Ndongolera Mwangupili (b. 1977), poet and short story writer
* George Mwase (c.1885–1962), author of a historical account of the 1915 rebellion, published 1967 (2nd ed. 1970).
*
Anthony Nazombe
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton ...
David Rubadiri
James David Rubadiri lukin Hendricks (19 July 1930 – 15 September 2018) was a Malawian diplomat, academic and poet, playwright and novelist. Rubadiri is ranked as one of Africa's most widely anthologized and celebrated poets to emerge after ind ...
(1930–2018), diplomat, academic and poet
*
Paul Tiyambe Zeleza
Paul Tiyambe Zeleza (born 25 May 1955) is a Malawian historian, literary critic, novelist, short-story writer and blogger at ''The Zeleza Post''. He was (2009) president of the African Studies Association. He was the Vice-President for Academic ...
(b. 1955), historian, critic and writer
* Barnaba Zingani (b. 1958), novelist in Chichewa and English, teacher.
* Willie Zingani (b. 1954), novelist in English and Chichewa, journalist, poet, playwright
* Tendai M Shaba (b. 1989), author, writer and poet
''See: List of Malawian writers''
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
Abderrahmane Sissako
Abderrahmane Sissako (born 13 October 1961) is a Mauritanian-born Malian film director and producer. His film '' Waiting for Happiness'' (''Heremakono'') was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival official selection under Un Certain Regard, ...
(1961–), filmmaker
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
Joseph Diescho
Joseph Diescho (born 10 April 1955) is a Namibian writer and political analyst. In 1988, he wrote ''Born of the Sun'', the first novel by a native-born Namibian author.
Biography
Born in Andara, Kavango Region,Dorian Haarhoff
Dorian Haarhoff (born 1944) is a South African-Namibian writer and poet. Haarhoff was born in 1944 in Kimberley, Northern Cape, then part of the Cape Province. He is a naturalized citizen of Namibia. He wrote his first poem in 1955 and has been pu ...
Anoeschka von Meck
Anoeschka von Meck (born 1967) is a Namibian author who writes in the Afrikaans language.
Biography
Von Meck is of German descent, and was born in Mariental, and lived for a while in Henties Bay. In 1983, von Meck moved to the United States to ...
(1967–), journalist and
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
-language writer
*
Hans Daniel Namuhuja
Hans Daniel Namuhuja (22 October 1924 – 23 July 1998) was a Namibian poet, author, and teacher. He published in Oshindonga, a dialect of Oshiwambo, and was the first author to publish poetry in this language for which before only the Catech ...
(1924–1998), poet
*
Cosmo Pieterse
Cosmo George Leipoldt Pieterse (born 1930 in Windhoek, Namibia) is a South African playwright, actor, poet, literary critic and anthologist.
Education and career
Cosmo Pieterse went to the University of Cape Town and taught in Cape Town until lea ...
(1930–), playwright and poet living and working in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languagesList of Nigerien writers''
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
''See:
List of Nigerian writers
This is a list of Nigerian writers.
A
*Chris Abani (born 1966), novelist, playwright and poet
* Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (born 1998), novelist
*Chinua Achebe (1930–2013), novelist, poet and critic
* Catherine Obianuju Acholonu (born ...
''
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
''See:
List of Rwandan writers
This is a list of Rwandan writers.
See also
*List of African writers by country
*List of Rwandans
References
{{expand list, date=November 2014
Lists of writers by nationality, Rwandan
Lists of Rwandan people, Writers
Rwandan writers, ...
''
São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...
*
Olinda Beja
Olinda Beja (born December 8, 1946) is a São Tomé and Príncipe poet, writer and narrator. Later she immigrated to Portugal and moved to Viseu and later became a Portuguese citizen.
Biography
She was born in Guadalupe, São Tomé e Príncipe, ...
(1946–), novelist
* Sara Pinto Coelho (1913–1990), fiction writer and playwright
*
Caetano da Costa Alegre
Caetano da Costa Alegre (26 April 1864 – 18 April 1890) was a Portuguese poet.
Biography
Born to a Cape Verdean ''crioulo'' family in the colony of São Tomé in Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe, off the coast of Africa, he settled in Portu ...
List of Senegalese writers
__NOTOC__
This is a list of prominent Senegalese authors (by surname)
A - G
* Agbo, Berte-Evelyne, poet, also connected with Benin
* Bâ, Mariama (1929–1981), French-language novelistSee the entry in Douglas Killam & Ruth Rowe, eds., ''The Co ...
''
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi
Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi ( so, Maxamed Diriye Abdullahi, ar, محمد ديري عبد الله; born 1958) is a Somali-Canadian scholar, linguist, writer, translator and professor.
Biography
Formerly a journalist in his native Somalia, Abdulla ...
, linguist and translator
*
Maxamed Daahir Afrax
Maxamed Daahir Afrax ( so, Maxamed Daahir Afraax, ar, محمد طاهر أفرح) Ph. D. is a Somali novelist, playwright, journalist and scholar.
Biography
Afrax was born and raised in Somalia. He began his education early as a child and was ...
, novelist, playwright and critic
*
Elmi Boodhari
Elmi Boodhari ( so, Cilmi Ismaaciil Liibaan, ar, علمي اسماعيل ليبان) (1908 – 1940) was a Somali poet and pioneer in the genre of Somali love poems. He is known among Somalis as the ''King of Romance'' (Boqorkii Jacaylka). He ...
(1908–1940) poet
*
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali (; ; Somali: ''Ayaan Xirsi Cali'':'' Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī;'' born Ayaan Hirsi Magan, ar, أيان حرسي علي / ALA-LC: ''Ayān Ḥirsī 'Alī'' 13 November 1969) is a Somali-born Dutch-American activist and former politicia ...
(1969–), feminist and anti-Islam activist
*
Ahmed Ibrahim Artan
Ahmed Ibrahim Artan so, Ahmed Ibrahim Cartan ; ar, أحمد ابراهيم عرتن) is a Somali diplomat, author and currently Minister of Security of Puntland.. He is the former Labourers and Youth adviser to the Somali president.
Persona ...
, diplomat, author and politician
* Jaamac Cumar Ciise (c.1922–2014), historian of Somali oral literature
*
Waris Dirie Waris may refer to:
People
*Abdul Majeed Waris (born 1991), Ghanaian footballer
*Manmohan Waris (born 1967), Indian Punjabi folk/pop singer
* Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood (born 1942), British author
* Syed Mohammad Waris Hasan Naqvi (died 2008), India ...
(1965–), model and autobiographical writer
*
Salaan Carrabey
Salaan Mahamud Hirsi ( so, Salaan Maxamuud Xirsi) (1864 – 1943), better known as Salaan Carrabey, was a famous poet from the Adan Madoba sub-division of the Habr Je'lo Isaaq clan.
Poetry
Salaan's poetry is very rich and he was a notable figur ...
(1864–1943) poet
*
Cristina Ali Farah
Ubah Cristina Ali Farah (born 1973 in Verona, Italy) is an Italian writer of Somali and Italian origin.
Biography
Born in Italy to a Somali father and an Italian mother, Farah grew up in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. She attended an Itali ...
(1973–), poet and novelist
*
Farah Nur
Farah Nur ( so, Faarax Nuur) (1862 – 1932) was a famed Somali poet and warrior of the Arap Isaaq clan.
Poetry
Farah's poetry had deep meaning and he was known for his eloquence and ability to cover a breadth of topics.
Aakhiru Sabaan
The po ...
((1862–1932)) poet and warrior
*
Hussein Hasan
Hussein Hasan ( so, Xuseen Xassan) was a famous Somali poet and warrior of the Eidagale Isaaq clan known for his skills in battle and hot temper.
Biography
Hussein belonged to the Rer Guled branch of the Eidagale and was a great grandson of the 1s ...
(d. 1910s) warrior and poet
*
Nuruddin Farah
Nuruddin Farah ( so, Nuuradiin Faarax, ar, نورالدين فارح) (born 24 November 1945) is a Somali novelist. His first novel, ''From a Crooked Rib'', was published in 1970 and has been described as "one of the cornerstones of modern East ...
Yaasiin Cismaan Keenadiid
Yasin Osman Kenadid ( so, Yaasiin Cismaan Keenadiid, ar, ياسين عثمان كينايديض) (1919–27 November 1988) was a Somali intellectual, writer and linguist. He was an influential literary scholar, having written a seminal dictionar ...
(1919–1988), literary scholar
*
Abdi Kusow
Abdi Mohamed Kusow ( so, Cabdi Maxamed Kuusoow, ar, عبدي محمد كوسو) is a Somali scholar and writer.
He studied at Michigan State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1990. Kusow later earned a Master of Urban Planni ...
Nadifa Mohamed
Nadifa Mohamed ( so, Nadiifa Maxamed, ar, نظيفة محمد) (born 1981) is a Somali-British novelist. She featured on ''Granta'' magazine's list "Best of Young British Novelists" in 2013, and in 2014 on the Africa39 list of writers aged u ...
(1981–), novelist
*
Gaariye
Mohamed Hashi Dhamac ( so, Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac, 1949 – 30 September 2012) better known as Gaarriye, was a Somali poet and political activist. He belonged to the Sa'ad Musa sub-division of the Habr Awal Isaaq clan.
Biography
Gaariye was born in ...
(d. 2012) poet
*
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar
Mohamed Haji Mukhtar ( so, Maxamed Xaaji Mukhtaar, ar, محمد حاج مختار ; was born 13 June 1947) is a Somali scholar and writer currently in the United States.
Biography
He is born in Hudur, a city in the middle of former Italian Som ...
(1947–), historian and scholar
*
Rageh Omaar
Rageh Omaar (; so, Raage Oomaar; ar, راجح أومار; born 19 July 1967) is a Somali-born British journalist and writer. He was a BBC world affairs correspondent, where he made his name reporting from Iraq. In September 2006, he moved to ...
(1967–), journalist
*
Abdi Ismail Samatar
Abdi Ismail Samatar ( so, Cabdi Ismaaciil Samatar, ar, عبدي إسماعيل ساماتار) (born 1950) is a Somali scholar, writer and professor of geography.
Personal life
Samatar was born in 1956 in Gabiley in Somaliland. He is the brother ...
Cali Xuseen Xirsi
Yamyam (born Abdulkadir Hersi Siyad, 4 September 1946 – October 22, 2005) ( so, Cabdiqaadir Xirsi Siyaad (Yamyam), ar, "عبد قادر حرس سياد "يميم) or Yam Yam was a Somali people, Somali poet and playwright. Yamyam was one of ...
(1946–2005), poet
*
Shadya Yasin
Shadya Yasin ( so, Shaadiyya Yaasiin; ar, شادية ياسين) is a Somali social activist, poet and teacher.
Personal life
Yasin was born around 1984 in Somalia. Later living for a period in Tanzania and Kenya, she emigrated to Canada in 199 ...
(1983/4–), poet
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
''See:
List of Sudanese writers
This is a list of prominent Sudanese writers.
Novelists and short story writers
* Leila Aboulela (born 1964)
* Fatin Abbas
* Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin (born 1963)
* Malkat Ed-Dar Mohamed (1920–1969)
* Bushra Elfadil (born 1952), also poet
* ...
''
Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
Stanley Musa N. Matsebula
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
''See:
List of Ugandan writers
This is a list of noted Ugandan writers, born or raised in Uganda, whether living there or overseas, and writing in one of the languages of Uganda.
A
*Adong Judith (born 1977), playwright
*Grace Akello (born 1950), poet, essayist, folklorist and ...
''
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
*
Ellen Banda-Aaku
Ellen Banda-Aaku (born 6 May 1965) is a Zambian author, radio drama and film producer who was born in the UK and grew up in Africa.
(1965–), fiction, children's books
* Jack Avon (1967–), non-fiction, business books
*
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissat ...
Dominic Mulaisho
Dominic Mulaisho (born 15 August 1933 in Luangwa, Zambia, Feira, Zambia – died Lusaka, Zambia 1 July 2013) was a Zambian novelist and civil servant. He was the Governor of the Bank of Zambia from 1992 to 1995.
He is also known for his two novel ...
(1933–2014), novelist
* Charles Mwewa, poet and non-fiction writer
* Princess Zindaba Nyirenda, novelist''Zambian Economist'' review.
* Field Ruwe (1955–), educator, historian, media practitioner, author (fiction and non-fiction)
*
Namwali Serpell
Carla Namwali Serpell (born 1980) is an American and Zambian writer who teaches in the United States. In April 2014, she was named on Hay Festival's Africa39 list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers aged under 40 with the potential and talent to de ...
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
African Writers Series
The African Writers Series (AWS) is a collection of books written by African novelists, poets and politicians. Published by Heinemann (publisher), Heinemann, 359 books appeared in the series between 1962 and 2003.
The series has provided an int ...
*
Lists of authors
The following are lists of writers:
Alphabetical indices
A – B – C – D –
E – F –
G – H –
I – J –
K – L –
M – N –
O – P ...
List of Latin American writers
This is a list of some of the most important writers from Latin America, organized by cultural region and nationality. The focus is on Latin American literature.
Andeans
Bolivia
* Alcides Arguedas (1879–1946), historian
*Matilde Casazola
* J ...