Ingrid Jonker Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 8 (1973) Winner
Mongane Wally Serote
モンガネ・ウォーリー・セローテ
Mongane Wally Serote
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1944-05-08 （Sophiatown, Johannesburg, South Africa）
- Nationality
- South African
- Languages
- English, South African languages
- Residence History
- Sophiatown / Alexandra (Johannesburg) → Gaborone (Botswana) — exile period → London (England) — worked for ANC → Johannesburg (South Africa) — after return
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Writer, Cultural activist, Public official (MP, administrator)
- Active Years
- 1964-
- Affiliations
- African National Congress (ANC), Medu Art Ensemble, Freedom Park (former CEO), iIKSSA Trust (founder, chairperson), IARI (founder, CEO)
- Memberships
- African National Congress (ANC), The English Academy of Southern Africa
- Influenced By
- Black Consciousness Movement, Keorapetse Kgositsile
- Influenced
- Younger South African poets
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Isaacson High School | — | — | — | — | South Africa |
| Sacred Heart Commercial High School (Lesotho) | — | — | — | — | Lesotho |
| Columbia University | — | Fine Arts | Fine Arts (学位取得) | 1970s | United States |
| University of the Witwatersrand | — | — | — | — | South Africa |
Morris Isaacson High School
Country:
South Africa
Part of secondary education in Soweto
Sacred Heart Commercial High School (Lesotho)
Country:
Lesotho
Attended commercial high school
Columbia University
Fine Arts
Degree:
Fine Arts (学位取得)
Period:
1970s
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
United States
Studied as a Fulbright Scholar; earned fine arts degree in 1979
University of the Witwatersrand
Country:
South Africa
Listed as alma mater in some sources; details unclear
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize | Yakhal'inkomo | — | Ingrid Jonker Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 1993 | Noma Award for Publishing in Africa | Third World Express | — | Noma Award organizers | 受賞 |
| 2003 | The English Academy of Southern Africa Medal | — | — | The English Academy of Southern Africa | 受賞 |
| 2004 | Pablo Neruda Medal | — | — | Government of Chile (related body) | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Order of Ikhamanga in Silver | — | — | The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa | 受賞 |
| 2012 | Struga Night Awards: Poet Laureate of Macedonia | — | — | Struga Poetry Evenings | 受賞 |
| 2018 | National Poet Laureate (South Africa) | — | — | South African literary bodies | 任命 |
Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize
1973
Work:
Yakhal'inkomo
Organization:
Ingrid Jonker Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1993
Work:
Third World Express
Organization:
Noma Award organizers
Result:
受賞
The English Academy of Southern Africa Medal
2003
Organization:
The English Academy of Southern Africa
Result:
受賞
Pablo Neruda Medal
2004
Organization:
Government of Chile (related body)
Result:
受賞
Order of Ikhamanga in Silver
2007
Organization:
The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa
Result:
受賞
Struga Night Awards: Poet Laureate of Macedonia
2012
Organization:
Struga Poetry Evenings
Result:
受賞
National Poet Laureate (South Africa)
2018
Organization:
South African literary bodies
Result:
任命
Awards & Nominations
Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (1993) Winner
Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings
1 appearances
-
Edition 47 (2012) Winner
Works
Major Works
Yakhal'inkomo
1972 Poetry collectionA debut poetry collection addressing political resistance and black identity, containing sharp social critique.
ResistanceBlack identityUrban life
Third World Express
1992 Poetry collection with prose elementsA work dealing with exile, diaspora and global black experiences; won the Noma Award in 1993.
ExileDiasporaHistory and memory
To Every Birth Its Blood
1981 NovelA novel portraying political oppression and individual fate against the backdrop of South Africa's history.
OppressionIndividual vs societyHistory
History is the Home Address
2004 Poetry collection / essaysA collection in which personal history intersects with national history; the title suggests the link between memory and place.
MemoryPlaceHistory
Bibliography
- City Johannesburg (1971)
- Alexandra (1972)
- Yakhal'inkomo (1972)
- Beerhall Queen (1972)
- For Don M - Banned (1973)
- Tsetlo (1974)
- No Baby Must Weep (1975)
- Behold Mama, Flowers (1978)
- The Night Keeps Winking (1982)
- A Tough Tale (1987)
- No More Strangers (1989)
- Third World Express (1992)
- Come and Hope With Me (1994)
- Freedom Lament and Song (1997)
- History is the Home Address (2004)
- To Every Birth Its Blood (novel, 1981)
- Gods of Our Time (1999)
- Scatter the Ashes and Go (2002)
- Revelations (2011)
- Sikhahlel' u-OR (2019)
- On the Horizon (essays, 1990)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Politically engaged, revolutionary toneTownship (Soweto) poetry with vivid imageryOral rhythms suited to performance and recitation
- Recurring Motifs
- Urban life (Johannesburg, Alexandra)Exile and returnHistory and memoryResistance and liberation
Legacy
Serote has had a major impact on South African literature as a poet linked to the anti-apartheid struggle. Through his exile writings and political engagement he positioned poetry as part of public memory and democratic practice.
Museums
- Freedom Park Pretoria, South Africa Opened in 2007
Academic Societies
- The English Academy of Southern Africa
Archives
- South African History Online (materials related to Serote)
In Popular Culture
- Inclusion of his poems in South African educational and literary curricula
Quotes
-
History is the home address.
Source: Poetry collection 'History is the Home Address' (2004)
Trivia
- Arrested in 1969 and held in solitary confinement for nine months related to anti-apartheid activities.
- Won the Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize in 1973 for his debut collection.
- Appointed National Poet Laureate of South Africa in 2018.