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Chenjerai Hove

チェンジェライ・ホーヴェ

Chenjerai Hove

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-02-09 （Mazvihwa, near Zvishavane, Rhodesia）
Died
2015-07-12 （Stavanger, Norway） age 59
Nationality
Zimbabwean
Languages
English, Shona
Residence History
Mazvihwa (birthplace) → Harare, Zimbabwe → Portland, USA (during Lewis & Clark College visit) → Providence, USA (Brown University) → Stavanger, Norway (exile/residence)

Career

Occupations
poet, novelist, essayist, journalist, teacher
Active Years
1981-2015
Affiliations
Zimbabwe Writers Union (Inaugural President), House of Culture, Stavanger (ICORN fellow), Lewis & Clark College (visiting), Brown University (International Writers Project fellow), Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (Zimrights, founding board member)
Memberships
Zimbabwe Writers Union, Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)

Education

Kutama College
Country: Zimbabwe
Secondary school (early education)
Marist Brothers Dete
Country: Zimbabwe
Secondary education (Hwange district)
University of South Africa
Country: South Africa
Tertiary education (details of degree unknown)
University of Zimbabwe
Country: Zimbabwe
Tertiary education (attendance; degree details unknown)

Awards

Noma Award (Special Commendation)
1983
Work: Up In Arms
Organization: Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
Result: Special Commendation
Zimbabwe Literary Award
1988
Work: Bones
Organization: Zimbabwe Literary Awards
Result: Winner
Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1989
Work: Bones
Organization: Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
Result: Winner
Zimbabwe Literary Award (Second Prize)
1998
Work: Ancestors
Organization: Zimbabwe Literary Awards
Result: Second Prize
German Africa Prize
2001
Category: Freedom of expression / literary contribution
Organization: German Africa Foundation
Result: Winner
International Writers Project Fellowship
2008
Category: Fellowship
Organization: Brown University (International Writers Project)
Result: Fellow

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Up In Arms

1982 poetry

A collection of poems addressing oppression and resistance; one of his early significant works.

resistanceoppressionpolitics
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages

Bones

1988 novel

A novel combining modernist techniques with oral conventions; it examines the social and psychic costs of the liberation war, especially for rural communities.

liberation warrural societymemorytrauma
Translations
  • Published in English and translated into several other languages

Shadows

1991 novel

A work that explores political pressure and personal relationships; many specifics are not widely documented.

powerindividual and state
Translations
  • Translated

Ancestors

1997 novel

A novel that contemplates ancestors, tradition and cultural roots, set against Zimbabwe's history and traditions.

traditionrootshistory
Translations
  • Translated

Shebeen Tales: Messages from Harare

1994 essays / journalism

A collection of essays sharply portraying daily life, politics and society in Harare, reflecting his journalistic perspective.

urban lifepolitical critiquecivil society
Translations
  • Translated

Bibliography

  • And Now the Poets Speak (co-editor), 1981
  • Up In Arms (poetry), 1982
  • Red Hills of Home (poetry), 1984/1985
  • Bones (novel), 1988
  • Shadows (novel), 1991
  • Shebeen Tales: Messages from Harare (essays), 1994
  • Rainbows in the Dust (poetry), 1997
  • Guardians of the Soil (cultural reflections), 1997
  • Ancestors (novel), 1997
  • Desperately Seeking Europe (co-author), 2003
  • Palaver Finish (essays), 2003
  • Blind Moon (poetry), 2004
  • The Keys of Ramb (children's story), 2004

Translations of Works

  • Translated into Japanese
  • Translated into German
  • Translated into Dutch

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Modernist formal constructions blended with oral literary conventionsConcise, journalistic and critical prose in essays and columns
Recurring Motifs
liberation war and its aftermathrural life and memoryexile and alienationconflict between tradition and modernization

Health

  • Liver failure
    2015
    Died in 2015 in exile in Norway; death attributed to liver failure.

Legacy

Chenjerai Hove is regarded as a writer who gave voice to the marginalized of Zimbabwe. Known for blending modernist forms with oral literary conventions, his works on the liberation war and social trauma were translated internationally and acclaimed. Despite exile due to political criticism, he continued international engagement through fellowships and visiting positions.

Academic Societies

  • Zimbabwe Writers Union

Archives

  • Materials likely held at University of Zimbabwe and international institutions

In Popular Culture

  • Known as a dissenting columnist in newspapers such as The Zimbabwean

Quotes

  • The best way to get rid of dictators was to laugh at them.
    Source: The Independent (obituary/tribute) (2015)

Trivia

  • Born the son of a local chief in what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
  • Wrote in both English and Shona.
  • Works have been translated into Japanese, German, Dutch and other languages.
  • Served as an International Writers Project fellow at Brown University around 2008.
  • Died in exile in Norway in 2015 of liver failure.