Books & Literature
not an overzealous political revolutionary
maximalist. Instead, he is foresighted
and sees the blind spots ahead of the then
nascent nation. He cautions people against
complacency and corruption. This is evident
in the following text from one of his early
poems:
This Thing: The Love of Nations
If my brother comes
Tell him
I have gone hunting
In these parts
what else can a man hunt for
except the filth
in unworked for coins?(55)
Hove sees the hypocrisy of human nature
when crimes are committed in the name of
“the love of nations” and pursuit of wealth
becomes an end in itself when people seek
“the filth in unworked for coins”.
None sums up Hove’s literary style better
than Charles Mungoshi, another prominent
Zimbabwean writer. In an introduction to
the first anthology, Mungoshi eloquently
portrays the quintessence of Hove’s literary
style as follows:
“Just as one cannot escape the terrible
truth of death, or just as a barefoot herdboy
cannot avoid the grass-hidden thorn in his
way, so it is with Hove’s poetry. It speaks
a truth that a historian or a politician or an
anthropologist may not know the edge of,
but Hove is not an explainer, an arbiter, or
a statistician. His poetry addresses itself
to the human heart. Because it speaks to
the heart, its language is concerned with
evoking feeling, recreating how it was or
how it is, but never explaining why. His
poetry happens, naturally.”
Hove has written several novels, poetry
anthologies and collections of essays. Among
his outstanding works are the following
poetry anthologies: And Now the Poets
Speak (1981); Up in Arms (1982); Red Hills
of Home (1984). In addition, he published a
trilogy of novels – Bones (1988); Shadows
(1991) and Ancestors (1997).
Hove’s early literary works were about the
war of liberation for national independence.
He reminisces about the war’s true heroes,
while at the same time expressing a sense
of betrayal for the fallen heroes. He feels
the leaders are not living up to the ideals of
the war and cautions the people not to be
The Parade - Zimbabwe’s Most Read Lifestyle Magazine
Chenjerai Hove
C
henjerai Hove (born February
9, 1956), is a Zimbabwean
poet, novelist and essayist
who writes in both English and Shona. “Modernist in their formal construction, but making extensive use of
oral conventions, Hove’s novels offer
an intense examination of the psychic
and social costs - to the rural population, especially, of the war of liberation in Zimbabwe.”
Life:
The son of a local chief, Chenjerai
Hove was born in Mazvihwa near
Zvishavane, Zimbabwe. He attended
school at Kutama College and Marist
Brothers Dete, in the Hwange district.
After studying in Gweru, he became a
teacher and then took degrees at the
University of South Africa and the
University of Zimbabwe. He has also
worked as a journalist, and contributed to the anthology And Now the
Poets Speak. Currently, he lives in
Norway as the International Writers
Project fellow in residence at Brown
University’s Watson Institute for International Studies.
Publications:
Chenjerai Hove has published numerous novels, poetry anthologies
and collections of essays and reflections. His publications include:
- And Now the Poets Speak (co-editor; poetry), 1981
- Up In Arms (poetry), Harare: Zimbabwe Publishing House, 1982
- Red Hills of Home (poetry), 1984;
Gweru: Mambo Press, 1985.
- Bones (novel), Harare: Baobab
Books, 1988; Heineman International
- Shadows (novel), Harare: Baobab
Books, 1991; Heinemann Int Literature and Textbooks, 1992
- Shebeen Tales: Messages from Harare (journalistic essays), Harare:
Baobab Bks/London: Serif, 1994
- Rainbows in the Dust (poetry),
1997
Guardians of the Soil (cultural
reflections by Zimbabwe’s elders),
1997. ISBN 0-908311-88-5.
- Ancestors (novel), 1997. ISBN
0-330-34490-0.
- Desperately Seeking Europe (coauthor; essays on European identity), 2003
- Palaver Finish, essays on politics
and life in Zimbabwe, 2003
- Blind Moon (poetry), 2004. ISBN
1-77922-019-7.
- The Keys of Ramb (children’s story), 2004
Honours and awards
- 1983 Special Commendations for
the Noma Award for Publishing in
Africa, for Up in Arms
- 1984 Inaugural President, Zimbabwe Writers Union
- 1988 Winner, Zimbabwe Literary
Award, for Bones
1989 Winner, Noma Award for
Publishing In Africa, for Bones[6]
- 1990 Founding Board Member,
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (Zimrights)
- 1991-94 Writer-in-Residence, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
- 1994 Visiting Professor, Lewis and
Clark College, Portland, Oregon,
USA
- 1995 Guest Writer, Yorkshire and
Humberside Arts and Leeds University, UK
- 1996 Guest Writer, Heinrich Böll
Foundation, Germany
- 1998 Second Prize, Zimbabwe Literary Award, for Ancestors
- 2001 German-Africa Prize for literary contribution to freedom of expression
- 2007-08 International Writers Project Fellow, Brown University
Source: Wikipedia
April 2013
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