Euphrase Kezilahabi (13 April 1944 – 9 January 2020) was a Tanzanian
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 asp ...
,
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 wri ...
, and scholar. Born in
Ukerewe,
Tanganyika (now in
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 ...
), he last worked at the
University of Botswana
The University of Botswana, popularly known as UB, was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has three campuses: one in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. Th ...
, as an associate professor at the Department of
African Languages
The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families:
* Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Souther ...
(now African Cultural Department).
He wrote in
Swahili, and delivered talks on subjects such as 'Aesthetic Ambivalence in Modern Swahili' and 'The Concept of the Hero in African Fiction'.
Works
* ''Stray Truths: Selected Poems of Euphrase Kezilahabi ''(Translations by Annmarie Drury) - 2015
* ''Mzingile'' - 1991
* ''Nagona'' - 1990
* ''Karibu Ndani'' - 1988
* ''Rosa Mistika'' - 1988
*Dunia Uwanja wa Fujo (2007)
*Kichwamaji (1974)
*Gamba la Nyoka (2006)
* ''The Concept of the Hero in African Fiction'' - 1983
* Translations by the
Poetry Translation Centre.
Influenced
* Vincent R. Ogoti
References
1944 births
2020 deaths
Tanzanian educators
Tanzanian poets
Swahili-language writers
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