Camões Prize (Prémio Camões)
1 appearances
-
Edition 9 (1997) Winner
Pepetela
ペペテラ
Pepetela
Pen Names:
Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos（Birth name / legal name）,
Pepetela（Pen name / nom de guerre (received during MPLA service)）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1941-01-01 （Benguela, Portuguese Angola）
- Nationality
- Angolan
- Languages
- Portuguese
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, playwright, sociologist, professor, former government official
- Active Years
- 1963-
- Affiliations
- MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola), Angolan Writers' Union (governing board member), University of Agostinho Neto (former professor)
- Memberships
- MPLA, Angolan Writers' Union
- Influenced By
- Henrique Abranches, Padre Noronha, Leftist thinkers (influenced via father's library and an uncle)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon) | Engineering faculty | — | — | — | Portugal |
| University of Algiers (scholarship; studied Sociology) | Humanities / Sociology | Sociology | — | — | Algeria |
Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon)
Engineering faculty
Country:
Portugal
Studied engineering but changed direction; later pursued studies in history/sociology.
University of Algiers (scholarship; studied Sociology)
Humanities / Sociology
/ Sociology
Country:
Algeria
Attended in 1960s on scholarship; involved in establishing MPLA Angolan Studies center.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Camões Prize | — | — | Camões Prize committee | 受賞 |
| 1999 | Prince Claus Award | — | — | Prince Claus Fund | 受賞 |
| 2020 | Prémio Literário do Correntes d'Escritas | — | — | Correntes d'Escritas | 受賞 |
Camões Prize
1997
Organization:
Camões Prize committee
Result:
受賞
Prince Claus Award
1999
Organization:
Prince Claus Fund
Result:
受賞
Prémio Literário do Correntes d'Escritas
2020
Organization:
Correntes d'Escritas
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
As Aventuras de Ngunga (Ngunga's Adventures)
1972 war / didactic novelFollows young MPLA guerrilla Ngunga; an epic, didactic account introducing Angolan customs and revolutionary ideals.
liberation struggletradition vs. revolutioneducation
Translations
- Ngunga's Adventures. Trans. Chris Searle. London: Young World Books, 1980
Mayombe
1980 war novelPortrays an MPLA guerrilla group's experiences in the anti-colonial struggle; based on the author's frontline experience.
anti-colonial struggleethnic and tribal tensionsheroism and critique
Translations
- Mayombe: A Novel of the Angolan Struggle. Trans. Michael Wolfers. London: Heinemann, 1983
Yaka
1985 historical novelA sweeping historical novel about a family of Portuguese settlers in 19th-century Benguela; explores roots and Angolan history.
colonial historyfamily sagaethnic culture
Translations
- Yaka. Trans. Marga Holness. Oxford: Heinemann, 1996
A Geração da Utopia (The Utopian Generation)
1992 historical / political novelExamines post-independence Angola across decades; critically portrays the clash between revolutionary ideals and reality.
disillusionmentpolitical corruptiongenerational change
Translations
- The Utopian Generation. Trans. David Brookshaw. Windsor, ON: Biblioasis, 2024
Predadores
2005 social novel / satireA scathing critique of Angola's ruling classes after independence; follows corrupt businessmen and kleptocratic elites.
power and corruptioneconomic malfeasancesocial critique
Jaime Bunda series (e.g. Jaime Bunda, Agente Secreto)
2001 detective / satireA satirical detective series lampooning life in Luanda; features the bumbling detective Jaime Bunda.
satiresocial criticismpost-independence society
Translations
- Jaime Bunda, Secret Agent. Trans. Richard Bartlett. Laverstock, U.K.: Aflame Editions, 2006
Bibliography
- As Aventuras de Ngunga (1972)
- Muana Puó (1978)
- Mayombe (1980)
- O Cão e os Caluandas (1985)
- Yaka (1985)
- Lueji, o Nascimento de um Império (1989)
- Luandando (1990)
- A Geração da Utopia (1992)
- O Desejo de Kianda (1995)
- Parábola do Cágado Velho (1996)
- A Gloriosa Família (1997)
- A Montanha da Água Lilás (2000)
- Jaime Bunda, Agente Secreto (2001)
- Jaime Bunda e a Morte do Americano (2003)
- Predadores (2005)
- O Terrorista de Berkeley, Califórnia (2007)
- O Quase Fim do Mundo (2008)
- Contos de morte (2008)
- O Planalto e a Estepe (2009)
- A Sul. o Sombreiro (2011)
- Crónicas com Fundo de Guerra (2011)
- O Timido E As Mulheres (2013)
- Crónicas Maldispostas (2015)
- Se o Passado Não Tivesse Asas (2016)
- Sua Excelência de Corpo Presente (2018)
Translations of Works
- Ngunga's Adventures (English translation, 1980)
- Mayombe (English translation, 1983)
- Yaka (English translation, 1996)
- The Utopian Generation (English translation, 2024)
- Jaime Bunda, Secret Agent (English translation, 2006)
- O Desejo de Kianda (The Return of the Water Spirit; English translation, 2002)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- blend of historical narrative and political realismsatire and humoroccasional magical realism
- Recurring Motifs
- Angolan history and colonial legacyrevolution and disillusionmentethnic and tribal relationspower and corruption
Legacy
Pepetela is one of Angola's leading writers; his works on the liberation struggle and post-independence reality have received international recognition. Winning the Camões Prize in 1997 marked an important milestone in Lusophone literature. He continues to offer critical perspectives on Angolan society through satire and historical novels.
Academic Societies
- Angolan Writers' Union
In Popular Culture
- The Jaime Bunda series is known as popular satirical fiction about Luanda society
Trivia
- The name "Pepetela" comes from Kimbundu meaning "eyelash", a translation of his Portuguese surname Pestana.
- His experience as an MPLA combatant strongly influenced his early works.
- Won the Camões Prize in 1997; one of the first Angolan recipients.