Meja Mwangi

Last updated

Meja Mwangi
Born
David Dominic Mwangi

(1948-12-27) 27 December 1948 (age 75)
Nanyuki, Kenya
EducationNanyuki Secondary School, Kenyatta College, University of Leeds
Occupations
AgentAnnemarie Friedli
Known forOne of Kenya's leading novelists; author of children's books
Notable work
Awards Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa (1975–76). For awards for literary works, see §Meja Mwangi#Prizes and awards
Website mejamwangi.com

Meja Mwangi (born 27 December 1948) is a Kenyan writer. [3] He has worked in the film industry, including in screenwriting, assistant directing, and casting.

Contents

Biography

Mwangi was born David Dominic Mwangi in Nanyuki, Kenya, and was educated at Nanyuki Secondary School, Kenyatta College, and briefly at the University of Leeds. [4] He then worked for the French Broadcasting Corporation doing odd jobs and the British Council in Nairobi as Visual Aids Officer, [5] before turning to writing full-time. He was Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa (1975–76).

After a prolonged period on the Kenyan and African publishing scene, Mwangi moved to the US after gaining international recognition and winning several awards. [6]

His best-known early work includes the novels Kill Me Quick (1973), Going Down River Road (1976), and The Cockroach Dance (1979), which illustrate the urban landscapes of Kenya, the struggle against poverty, and the AIDS epidemic. [7]

Prizes and awards

For general readers

For juvenile readers

Shortlist

Literary works

In English

Translations

Theatre, screenplays, other adaptations

Filmography

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References

  1. Going Down River Road . Peak Library. Heinemann. 1976. ISBN   9780435901769.
  2. Mwangi, Meja (1979). The Cockroach Dance. Longman. ISBN   0-582-64276-0.
  3. "Meja Mwangi". Contemporary Writers. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  4. He did not complete a full university degree at University of Leeds. "Meja Mwangi biography" . Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. Chakava, Henry (1976). An H.E.B. Student's Guide Notes on Meja Mwangi's Kill Me Quick. Nairobi, Kenya: Heinemann Educational Books (East Africa) Ltd. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. Ciugu, Mwagiru (13 December 2013). "Meja Mwangi, the reclusive writer with a mighty pen". Nation Media Group. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  7. Dictionary of African Biography, via Oxford African American Studies Center database, accessed 13 March 2015.
  8. Arana, R. Victoria (2008). The Facts on File companion to world poetry: 1900 to the present. Infobase Publishing. p. 244. ISBN   978-0-8160-6457-1 . Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  9. "2006 Notable Children's Books announced — Older Readers". The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 6 February 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  10. Meja Mwangi. Literature: Writers. British Council. 5 November 1973. ISBN   0-435-90143-5. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  11. Muriungi, Agnes (31 December 2001). "The 'Total/Real' Man and the 'Proper' Woman: 1 Safe sex, risk and gender in Meja Mwangi's The Last Plague". English Studies in Africa.
  12. Kariuki (aventures avec le petit homme blanc) (in French). 1992. Retrieved 26 October 2016.