Achmat Dangor (2 October 1948 – 6 September 2020) was a South African writer, poet, and development professional. His most important works include the novels ''Kafka's Curse'' (1997) and '' Bitter Fruit'' (2001). He was also the author of three collections of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, a

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

, and a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

collection. Dangor was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...

. He was one of the founding members of the

Congress of South African Writers The Congress of South African Writers (COSAW) is a South African grassroots writer’s organisation. Launched in July 1987, its initial aims were to promote literature and redress the imbalances of apartheid education. It organises literary events ...

, and headed up various non-governmental organisations 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 ...

, including the

Nelson Mandela Children's Fund The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF) is a charitable organisation founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22.Nelson Mandela Foundation Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and was the Southern Africa Representative for the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

. In 2015 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the

South African Literary Awards (SALA) The South African Literary Awards (SALA) have been awarded annually since 2005 to exceptional South African writers. They "pay tribute to South African writers who have distinguished themselves as ground-breaking producers and creators of litera ...

. He lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, with his wife, Audrey, and young son Zachary, and devoted his time to his writing.

Awards

His awards included: * 1998 Herman Charles Bosman Prize for ''Kafka's Curse'' * '' Bitter Fruit'' was shortlisted for the 2004

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

Notable works

* ''Waiting for Leila'' (1981) * ''Voices from Within'' (1982) * ''Bulldozer'' (1983) * ''Majiet'' (1986) * ''The Z Town trilogy'' (1990) * ''Private Voices'' (1992) * ''Kafka’s Curse'' (1997) * '' Bitter Fruit'' (2003) * ''Strange Pilgrimages'' (2013) * ''Dikeledi: Child of Tears, No More'' (2017)

Family

Dangor is the brother of

Jessie Duarte Yasmin "Jessie" Duarte (; 19 September 1953 – 17 July 2022) was a South African politician and acting secretary-general of the African National Congress. A longtime anti-apartheid activist, she served variously as a special assistant to Nels ...

References

External links

Interview with Achmat Dangor on The Ledge
an independent platform for world literature (includes excerpt and audio) __NOTOC__ 1948 births 2020 deaths South African male poets South African male novelists South African people of Indian descent South African people of Dutch descent 20th-century South African poets 20th-century South African novelists 21st-century South African poets 21st-century South African novelists 20th-century South African male writers 21st-century South African male writers {{SouthAfrica-writer-stub