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Meja Mwangi

メジャ・ムワンギ

Meja Mwangi

Aliases: David Dominic Mwangi
Pen Names: Meja Mwangi（Publishing name / pen name (birth name David Dominic Mwangi)）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-12-27 （Nanyuki, Kenya）
Nationality
Kenyan
Languages
English, Swahili
Residence History
Nairobi, Kenya → United States (moved)

Career

Occupations
Author, Screenwriter, Assistant director, Casting director
Active Years
1970-
Nominations
International Dublin Literary Award nomination (The Last Plague, 2002), Noma Award honourable mention (Bread of Sorrow, 1989)

Education

Nanyuki Secondary School
Country: Kenya
Kenyatta College (Kenyatta University)
Country: Kenya
University of Leeds (brief attendance)
Country: United Kingdom
Attended briefly; did not complete a full degree

Awards

Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (English)
1974
Work: Kill Me Quick
Category: 英語部門
Organization: Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature committee
Result: 受賞
Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (English)
2001
Work: The Last Plague
Category: 英語部門
Organization: Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature committee
Result: 受賞
Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (Youth)
2007
Work: The Boy Gift
Category: 英語 ユース部門
Organization: Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature committee
Result: 第3位
Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (Adult Fiction)
2009
Work: The Big Chiefs
Category: 英語 成人向けフィクション
Organization: Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature committee
Result: 第3位
Lotus Prize for Literature
1978
Organization: Afro-Asian Writers' Association
Result: 受賞
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize)
1992
Work: Kariuki und sein weißer Freund (German edition of The Mzungu Boy)
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis committee
Result: 受賞
Le Prix Lire au Collège
1992
Work: Kariuki (The Mzungu Boy)
Category: 児童文学
Organization: French reading prize committee
Result: 受賞
American Library Association Notable Children's Books (Older Readers)
2006
Work: The Mzungu Boy
Category: 児童・ヤングアダルト
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: 選出
Fellow in Writing
1975
Organization: University of Iowa
Result: フェローシップ（1975–1976）
Noma Award (Honourable Mention)
1989
Work: Bread of Sorrow
Organization: Noma Award committee
Result: Honourable mention
International Dublin Literary Award (Nomination)
2002
Work: The Last Plague
Organization: International Dublin Literary Award committee
Result: ノミネーション

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Kill Me Quick

1973 Novel (urban social realism)

A short novel depicting the struggles and hopes of young people living in Kenyan urban settings, focusing on social inequality and survival.

urban povertyyouth struggle

Going Down River Road

1976 Novel (social realism)

Set in Nairobi's River Road area, the novel portrays urban poverty and its consequences, addressing community and livelihood issues.

urban landscapeeconomic instability

The Cockroach Dance

1979 Novel

A novel that allegorically depicts aspects of urban life, critiquing systemic issues through the lives of marginalized people.

social marginalizationurban allegory

The Last Plague

2001 Novel (social novel addressing AIDS)

A novel addressing the AIDS epidemic and its social impacts, examining gender and risk issues.

epidemic and societygender and risk

The Mzungu Boy

2006 Children's novel

A children's novel about friendship and cross-cultural encounter; widely translated and highly regarded.

friendshipcross-cultural encounter
Translations
  • Kariuki und sein weißer Freund (German)
  • Kariuki (aventures avec le petit homme blanc) (French)

Bibliography

  • Kill Me Quick
  • Carcase for Hounds
  • Taste of Death
  • Going Down River Road
  • The Bushtrackers
  • The Cockroach Dance
  • Bread of Sorrow
  • The Return of Shaka
  • Weapon of Hunger
  • Jimi the Dog
  • Striving for the Wind
  • The Hunter's Dream
  • The Last Plague
  • Mountain of Bones
  • The Boy Gift
  • The Mzungu Boy
  • Mama Dudu, the Insect Woman
  • Baba Pesa
  • The Big Chiefs
  • Gun Runner
  • Free?: Stories Celebrating Human Rights
  • Rafiki - Man Guitar
  • Christmas Without Tusker

Adaptations

  • Power (theatre adaptation, 2009; adaptation of The Big Chiefs)
  • Blood Brothers (play adaptation of Mama Dudu, 2009)

Translations of Works

  • Carcase for Hounds (Portuguese translation)
  • Carcase for Hounds (German translation)
  • Kill Me Quick (French translation)
  • Going Down River Road (French translation)
  • The Mzungu Boy (German translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
urban realismsocial realist fictionallegorical elements (in some works)
Recurring Motifs
poverty and survivalurban landscapes and their effectsfriendship and cultural conflict

Legacy

One of Kenya's leading novelists. His works portraying urban poverty and social issues have been translated internationally; he is also highly regarded for children's literature, influencing younger writers and the children's literature field.

In Popular Culture

  • Some works have been adapted for the stage and used in educational contexts for children

Trivia

  • Birth name David Dominic Mwangi.
  • Born in Nanyuki; attended the University of Leeds briefly.
  • Worked for French broadcasting and the British Council before writing full-time.
  • Has worked in film production roles including assistant directing and casting (e.g., credited on Out of Africa).
  • The Mzungu Boy was widely translated and received international recognition and awards.