Felix Mnthali (born 1933 in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

) is a

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 ...

an poet, novelist and playwright. Educated at what is now the

National University of Lesotho The National University of Lesotho, the main and oldest university in Lesotho, is located in Roma, southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and is surrounded by a barrier of rugged mountains which provides magnifi ...

, Mnthali's works include a book of poetry, '' When Sunset Comes to Sapitwa'' (1980), and a novel, '' My Dear Anniversary'' (1992). He was also included in the 1984 ''

Penguin Book of Modern African Poetry ''The Penguin Book of Modern African Poetry'' (in an earlier 1963 edition ''Modern Poetry from Africa'') is a 1984 poetry anthology edited by Gerald Moore (scholar), Gerald Moore and Ulli Beier. It consists mainly of poems written in English langu ...

''. His poem "The Stranglehold of English Lit." implicates the English literary tradition, and especially

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

, in the slave trade and colonial imperialism. Mnthali was a professor 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. T ...

for 28 years, until he retired in 2010.

References

1933 births Living people National University of Lesotho alumni Malawian poets Malawian novelists Malawian dramatists and playwrights Academic staff of the University of Botswana {{Malawi-writer-stub