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Samuel Chimsoro

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Samuel Chimsoro (13 February 1949 – 6 July 2016) was a Zimbabwean poet and novelist who published in both English and Shona.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

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Chimsoro was born on 13 February 1949,[4] in Mrewa in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia).[5] He attended Nyatsime College, the first privately black owned secondary school in Zimbabwe. He then trained as a laboratory technician with a focus on radiation detection. He worked for the government of Zimbabwe before moving to the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).[4]

Career

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Chimsoro published his first volume of poetry, Smoke and Flames, in 1978. In the same year he published a Shona-language short story, "Hoyiyo ne Hohwa", which would later be used for instruction in primary schools.[5] These were followed by Nothing is Impossible, a novel inspired by the life of Paul Mukondo,[4] in 1983, and the Shona poetry collection Dama rekutanga: muunganidzwa wenhetembo (Dama rekutanga: the first promise) in 1990. Chimsoro's works deal with themes of colonialism, racial discrimination, and Zimbabwean politics.[5][6]

Death

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Chimsoro died on 6 July 2016 in Umgugu Village, Zhombe, Zimbabwe.[4]

Bibliography

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  • Smoke and Flames: Poems (Mambo Press, 1978)[7]
  • Nothing is Impossible (Longman, 1983)[8]
  • Dama rekutanga: muunganidzwa wenhetembo (College Press, 1990)[9]

References

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  1. ^ Mutonho, Shingirai (9 October 2014). "Poems that fuelled the liberation struggle". The Patriot. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  2. ^ Warren, Crystal (2007). "A bibliography of Zimbabwean poets". English in Africa. 34 (2). ProQuest 194906854 – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Muchemwa, Kizito Z (2008). "An Overview of Post-Independence Zimbabwean Poetry". Poetry International. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Zimunya, Musaemura (3 February 2017). "Tribute to poet, novelist Chimsoro". The Herald (Zimbabwe). Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Killam, Douglas; Rowe, Ruth (2000). The companion to African literatures. James Currey. p. 68. ISBN 0-85255-549-0.
  6. ^ Roscoe, Adrian (2008). The Columbia Guide to Central African Literature in English Since 1945. Columbia University Press. pp. 97–98. ISBN 9780231503792.
  7. ^ Chimsoro, Samuel (1978). Smoke and Flames: Poems. Mambo Press.
  8. ^ Chimsoro, Samuel (1983). Nothing is Impossible. Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-78570-0.
  9. ^ Chimsoro, Samuel (1990). Dama rekutanga: muunganidzwa wenhetembo (in Shona). College Press. ISBN 978-0-86925-979-5.