Article
Vale Julius Chingono
January 04, 2011
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of the poet and short-story writer, Julius Sekai Chingono, who died at his home in Norton on Sunday 2 January 2011.
Born in 1946, Chingono was the son of a farmworker, and worked for most of his life as a blaster on the mines. Made redundant in 1999, he worked intermittently as a rock-blasting contractor, the difficulties of which are laconically alluded to in his December 2003 diary, published on PIW.
His often deceptively simple poetry was written with compassion and clarity, feeling deeply as he did for the hardships of the poor and marginalised, while his honesty, humour and ironic eye made him a sharp and witty observer of those who abused their station through corruption and hypocrisy.
Between 1968 and 1980 his poetry was published in several Shona anthologies, including Nhetembo, Mabvumira eNhetembo and Gwenyambira. His first and only novel, Chipo Changu was published in 1978, followed by an award-winning play, Ruvimbo, in 1980, and two collections of poetry, Flags of Love (Mireza yerudo) (1983) and Flag of Rags (1996). Much of his poetry has also been published on PIW, and he featured in the 2009 edition of The Warwick Review. He was guest poet at festivals in Rotterdam (Poetry International: 2004), Durban (Time of the Writer: 2006) and Tel Aviv (Sha’ar International Poetry Festival: 2008).
His first collection of short stories in English, Not Another Day, was published in 2006, and his stories were included in the anthologies Writing Still, Writing Now and Laughing Now.
Julius will be greatly missed by all who knew him and who admired his writing.
Born in 1946, Chingono was the son of a farmworker, and worked for most of his life as a blaster on the mines. Made redundant in 1999, he worked intermittently as a rock-blasting contractor, the difficulties of which are laconically alluded to in his December 2003 diary, published on PIW.
His often deceptively simple poetry was written with compassion and clarity, feeling deeply as he did for the hardships of the poor and marginalised, while his honesty, humour and ironic eye made him a sharp and witty observer of those who abused their station through corruption and hypocrisy.
Between 1968 and 1980 his poetry was published in several Shona anthologies, including Nhetembo, Mabvumira eNhetembo and Gwenyambira. His first and only novel, Chipo Changu was published in 1978, followed by an award-winning play, Ruvimbo, in 1980, and two collections of poetry, Flags of Love (Mireza yerudo) (1983) and Flag of Rags (1996). Much of his poetry has also been published on PIW, and he featured in the 2009 edition of The Warwick Review. He was guest poet at festivals in Rotterdam (Poetry International: 2004), Durban (Time of the Writer: 2006) and Tel Aviv (Sha’ar International Poetry Festival: 2008).
His first collection of short stories in English, Not Another Day, was published in 2006, and his stories were included in the anthologies Writing Still, Writing Now and Laughing Now.
Julius will be greatly missed by all who knew him and who admired his writing.
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