South African Literary Awards (SALA)
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2005) Winner
Es'kia Mphahlele
エスキア・ムパハレレ
Es'kia Mphahlele
Aliases:
Ezekiel Mphahlele
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1919-12-17 （Marabastad, Pretoria, Union of South Africa）
- Died
- 2008-10-27 （Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, South Africa） age 88
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Languages
- Sepedi, Setswana, Sesotho, isiZulu, English, Afrikaans
- Residence History
- Pretoria → Maupaneng Village, GaMphahlele → Marabastad → Orlando East, Soweto → Nigeria → France, Paris → Kenya, Nairobi → Colorado, Denver, US → Philadelphia, US → Johannesburg
Career
- Occupations
- writer, educationist, philosopher, activist
- Active Years
- 1940-2008
- Affiliations
- Transvaal African Teachers' Association (TATA), University of the Witwatersrand, Council for Black Education and Research
- Influenced By
- Miguel de Cervantes
- Influenced
- Wole Soyinka, Modern African literature figures
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams College | — | — | Teacher's Certificate | — | South Africa |
| University of South Africa | — | English, Psychology, African Administration | B.A. | — | South Africa |
| University of South Africa | — | English | B.A. Honours | — | South Africa |
| University of South Africa | — | English | M.A. | — | South Africa |
| University of Denver | — | Creative Writing | Ph.D. | — | United States |
Adams College
Degree:
Teacher's Certificate
Year of Graduation:
1940
Country:
South Africa
University of South Africa
English, Psychology, African Administration
Degree:
B.A.
Year of Graduation:
1949
Country:
South Africa
University of South Africa
English
Degree:
B.A. Honours
Year of Graduation:
1955
Country:
South Africa
University of South Africa
English
Degree:
M.A.
Year of Graduation:
1957
Country:
South Africa
First person to graduate M.A. English with distinction, Thesis: The Non-European Character in South African English Fiction
University of Denver
Creative Writing
Degree:
Ph.D.
Year of Graduation:
1968
Country:
United States
Submitted novel The Wanderers in lieu of thesis, Awarded First Prize for best African novel by African Arts magazine
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Order of the Palm | — | フランス語と文化への貢献 | French government | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Crystal Award | — | 芸術と教育への傑出した貢献 | World Economic Forum | 受賞 |
| 1998 | Order of the Southern Cross | — | — | South African Government | 受賞 |
Order of the Palm
1984
Category:
フランス語と文化への貢献
Organization:
French government
Result:
受賞
Crystal Award
1998
Category:
芸術と教育への傑出した貢献
Organization:
World Economic Forum
Result:
受賞
Order of the Southern Cross
1998
Organization:
South African Government
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Down Second Avenue
1959 autobiographyRecounts his struggle to get an education and the setbacks experienced in his teaching career, evoking the black experience under apartheid.
apartheidAfrican Humanismeducationblack experience
Translations
- Japanese
The Wanderers
1971 novelA story chronicling the experience of exiles in Africa.
exileAfrican journeyidentity
Afrika My Music
1984 autobiographySecond autobiography describing exile and return to South Africa.
exilereturnculture
Chirundu
1980 novelNovel set against political tension.
politicspower
Bibliography
- Man Must Live and Other Stories (1947)
- Down Second Avenue (1959)
- The African Image (1962)
- In Corner B & Other Stories (1967)
- The Wanderers (1971)
- Voices in the Whirlwind and Other Essays (1971)
- Chirundu (1980)
- The Unbroken Song: Selected Writings (1981)
- Afrika My Music (1984)
- Father Come Home (1984)
- Renewal Time (1988)
- Es'kia (2001)
- Es'kia Continued (2004)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- developing the concept of African Humanismdrawing from personal experiencesshort stories, fiction, autobiography
- Recurring Motifs
- black experience under apartheidexile and returneducation and culture
Legacy
Celebrated as the Father of African Humanism and one of the founding figures of modern African literature. Dean of African Letters.
Museums
- Es'kia Mphahlele Community Library Pretoria
In Popular Culture
- Es'kia Institute founded
- Streets named after him
Trivia
- Changed his name from Ezekiel to Es'kia in 1977.
- Spent 20 years in exile in Nigeria, France, Kenya, and the US.
- Married Rebecca Nnana Mochedibane in 1945; they had five children.