Barry Ronge Fiction Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (2011) Winner
Sifiso Mzobe
シフィソ・ムゾベ
Sifiso Mzobe
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Umlazi, Durban, South Africa
- Nationality
- South Africa
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Umlazi (Durban), South Africa
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Journalist
- Active Years
- 2010-
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Francis College (Mariannhill) | — | — | — | — | South Africa |
| Damelin Business Campus (Durban) | — | Journalism | — | — | South Africa |
St Francis College (Mariannhill)
Country:
South Africa
Attended as part of early/secondary education. Exact graduation year unknown.
Damelin Business Campus (Durban)
Journalism
Country:
South Africa
Studied journalism (specific qualification and year not specified).
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Herman Charles Bosman Prize | Young Blood | — | Media24 Books | Winner |
| 2011 | South African Literary Award (First-Time Published Author) | Young Blood | First-Time Published Author | South African Literary Awards | Winner |
| 2011 | Sunday Times CNA Literary Award (Fiction) | Young Blood | Fiction | Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards | Winner |
| 2012 | Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa | Young Blood | — | Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa | Winner |
Herman Charles Bosman Prize
2011
Work:
Young Blood
Organization:
Media24 Books
Result:
Winner
South African Literary Award (First-Time Published Author)
2011
Work:
Young Blood
Category:
First-Time Published Author
Organization:
South African Literary Awards
Result:
Winner
Sunday Times CNA Literary Award (Fiction)
2011
Work:
Young Blood
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards
Result:
Winner
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
2012
Work:
Young Blood
Organization:
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Media24 Books Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2011) Winner
South African Literary Awards (SALA)
1 appearances
-
Edition 7 (2011) Winner
Sunday Times CNA Literary Awards
1 appearances
Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa
1 appearances
-
Edition 4 (2012) Winner
Works
Major Works
Young Blood
2010 Novel (Fiction)A debut novel set in Umlazi, Durban, portraying young people's lives amid gang culture, violence, and poverty. It follows the protagonists' coming-of-age and difficult choices in an urban township.
urban youthviolencepovertycoming-of-agecommunity
Durban December
2015 Novel (Fiction)A work set in Durban exploring the lives of local people across perspectives, depicting everyday struggles and changing seasons in the city (detailed synopsis not provided).
urban lifecommunityrelationships
Searching for Simphiwe: And Other Stories
2020 Short storiesA collection of short stories including the title piece, portraying everyday life, loss, and hope in contemporary South Africa.
losshopesocial tensions
Bibliography
- Young Blood, Kwela Books, 2010
- Durban December, Kwela Books, 2015
- Searching for Simphiwe: And Other Stories, Kwela Books, 2020
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist, gritty proseEnergetic, colloquial dialogueUse of local voices and vernacular
- Recurring Motifs
- township lifeyouth culture and violenceclass and opportunity gaps
Legacy
Best known for his debut Young Blood, which won several major literary awards, Mzobe brought the voices of Umlazi youth to broader attention. He is noted for his realistic portrayals of urban South African life.
Trivia
- Attended St Francis College.
- Debut novel Young Blood was published in 2010 and won multiple awards (several in 2011 and the Wole Soyinka Prize in 2012).
- Young Blood was listed in The Sunday Independent's Top Ten Books of 2010.