Flora veitwild i have often been asked why i did not write a proper dambudzo marechera biography. In his novella, the house of hunger 1978, and interviews, marechera often falsely suggests that his father was either run over by a 20th century train or came home with a knife sticking from his back or was found in the hospital mortuary with his body riddled with bullets. There is something about the logic of it that it seems to eschew the need to survive as a primary value in life. He was, at the time, as we now know in a hide and seek relationship with flora veitwild who made some startling revelations two years ago. Zimbabwe is one among other african nations that have attained independence like having. Dambudzo marechera from the viewpoint of cultic remembrance. It is a short story collection that was the first book by zimbabwean writer dambudzo marechera. His short career produced a book of stories, two novels, a book of plays, prose, and poetry, and a. Zimbabwe writer dambudzo marechera letter to white girlfriend.
Some accounts suggest that marechera married a british woman but not much is known. Marechera was born in vhengere township, rusape, zimbabwe then known as southern rhodesia, to isaac marechera, a mortuary attendant, and masvotwa venenzia marechera, a maid. Known as the enfant terrible of african literature and africas response to joyce, dambudzo marechera 19521987 has been dismissed by some as mad and applauded by others as a genius. Usually there is a dogeared copy of house of hunger. The myth of dambudzo marechera and radical politics in zimbabwe tinashe mushakavanhu dambudzo marecheras writings are central to an understanding of zimbabwes turbulent history.
Below is a letter written by dambudzo marechera to his white ex girlfriend, samantha. The tone of this poem is lonely, sad, lost and confused. Yet the novellas endurance articulates a very zimbabwean restlessness. Vindicating dambudzo marechera nordic journal of african studies. I think by now you have heard what happened when those hypocrites in administration chased me from their white university giving me an option between being.
Secret lover dreams about dambudzo marechera march 18, 2012 in local she savours her romantic experiences in the arms of an enigmatic, if somewhat eccentric genius and talented writer who captured the attention of literary critics at home and abroad in the early 80s. Dambudzo marechera late on his visit to zim after 8 year. This, the opening line to dambudzo marecheras the house of. We wasted a talent, as a writer of a fan letter puts it in. Zimbabwe writer dambudzo marechera letter to white girlfriend samantha. Dambudzo marechera a writer who considered fiction a form of combat, his work is complex, challenging and uniquely potent chris power. Despite his brief writing career and untimely death at age thirtyfive, dambudzo marechera, the zimbabwean poet and novelist, remains an important figure in african literature and literary studies in. The house of hunger is as much a product of being down and out sleeping rough, being beaten up by thugs and policeman alike and struggling with alcoholism, as it is of the rhodesia it describes. More than twenty years after his death, his work continues to inspire academic studies, biographies, films, and plays. Postcolonial narcissism, cryptopolitics, and hypnocritique. Prior to his death, he had been living at sloane court in the avenues district of harare. His short career produced a book of stories, two novels, a book of plays, prose, and poetry, and a collection of poetry.
A psychoanalytic reading of marecheras house of hunger. Revisiting marecheras letter to samantha the zimbabwe sentinel. Charles dambudzo marechera was born in harare, in colonial rhodesia, in 1952, and educated at st augustine mission, a school for black students run by. Among all these african writers i find one outstanding and unique character, writer and artists dambudzo marechera with striking perceptions and views on this critical idea of independence. A psychoanalytic reading of marecheras house of hunger, the black insider and. Com the best news website in africa zimbabwe writer dambudzo marechera letter to white girlfriend samantha dear samantha. Dambudzo marecheras writings are central to an understanding of zimbabwes turbulent history.
Dambudzo marechera has not been previously engaged. A shred of identity by dambudzo marechera poem of the month. Dambudzo marechera was a zimbabwean novelist, short story writer, playwright and poet. He had already seen the troubles ahead as he could read through the deceptive characters that were on the brink of leading zimbabwe. Dambudzo marechera, perhaps zimbabwes bestknown writer, died in harare on 18 august 1987, he was born on 4 june 1952 in vengere township near rusape. By concentrating on his prose works, this thesis explores dambudzo marechera s rendering of the decentred self and his examining of this in terms of both its re1a tiomhip with society, and its impact on metaphysical thought, particularly anarchist idealism. Dambudzo marechera his life and work interview his. When the house of hunger was published in 1978 there was no futuristic sensibility to the book. Charles william dambudzo marechera was born on june 4, 1952, in vengere township in rusape, zimbabwe then rhodesia. He got involved with a german woman whom he may or may not have married. The received biography marechera offers much more to african literary criticism than the argument over whether he was too liberated to need a politics or too alienated to produce one.
Dambudzo marechera born charles william dambudzo marechera, june 4, 1952, rusape, southern rhodesia august 18, 1987, harare was a zimbabwean novelist and poet. Click download or read online button to get dambudzo marechera book now. The kind of language used previously, as in many other instances in the authors works, bears testimony to the hostile environment in terms of aggression, both physical and sexual, the author was subjected to. Dear samantha i think by now you have heard what happened when those hypocrites in administration chased me from their white university giving me an option between being sectioned or expelled. Dambudzo marecheras the house of hunger novel still plays out in zimbabwe quartz africa if dambudzo marechera had not existed, zimbabwe would have invented him. The attainment of independence by black people from the colonial white man is a history that is retold, re narrated with a high sense of african pride. We take a deeper look into the mind of the controversial zimbabwean author through his magnum opus house of hunger to truly assess if he was really mad or just misunderstood. Pdf abjection in dambudzo marecheras the house of hunger. Dambudzo marechera 19521987 writer rootless and rough childhood twice ejected from college works vanished returned to homeland selected writings sources source for information on marechera, dambudzo 19521987. It is reported that in 1978 dambudzo marechera heckled robert mugabe when he came to london to address zimbabweans at the africa centre. The myth of dambudzo marechera and radical politics in. He was the zimbabweanborn son of a mortuary worker and a maid. Dambudzo marechera 4 june 1952 18 august 1987 was a zimbabwean novelist, short story writer, playwright and poet.
Individualism is rejected in the space marechera calls the. Dambudzo marechera 4 june 1952 18 august 1987 was a zimbabwean novelist, short story. A shred of identity by dambudzo marechera, from the title it is very clear that it is about identity. Secret lover dreams about dambudzo marechera the standard. Her small fists pounding my bared chest, gasps, lies still. Colin style, in his essay the white man in black zimbabwean literature. Abjection in dambudzo marecheras the house of hunger in a description of nationalist poems about a golden age of black heroes. Abjection in dambudzo marecheras the house of hunger. Why this is so suggests something of the dimensions of marecheras intellectual achievement and the character of the. Letter to samantha by dambudzo marechera zahrmomentss blog. Why this is so suggests something of the dimensions of marecheras intellectual achievement and the character of the uncomfortable questions he raises. The writings of dambudzo marechera biographical note.
Dear samantha i think by now you have heard what happened. My answer was that i did not want to collapse his multifaceted personality into one authoritative narrative but rather let the diverse voices speak for themselves. The son of a truckdriver, he attended various mission schools and entered. This article reads dambudzo marecheras house of hunger as positing a potentially subversive field of collective social engagement. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Dambudzo marechera born charles william dambudzo marechera, 4 june 1952 18 august 1987 was a zimbabwean novelist and poet. Memories of childhood traumas, school cruelties, colonial brutalities, university persecutions, and failed romances crowd out the narrative present. Below is a letter written by dambudzo marechera to his white exgirlfriend, samantha. I chose the latter, a decision which shocked them out of their warped wits. On august 18, 1987 dambudzo marechera died a lonely figure at parirenyatwa hospital to an aidsrelated illness. Revisiting marecheras letter to samantha the zimbabwe. Dambudzo marecheras the house of hunger novel still.
This article reads dambudzo marechera s house of hunger as positing a potentially subversive field of collective social engagement. His short career produced a book of stories, two novels one published posthumously, a book of plays, prose, and poetry, and a collection of poetry also posthumous. This volume features startling stories of distinction by a remarkable writer who vividly describes the township squalor of growing up in settlerexploite. His father, isaac marechera, was a mortuary attendant and his mother, masvotwa venezia marechera, was a maid for the white families that lived in. The old man died beneath the wheels of the twentieth century. View dambudzo marechera research papers on academia. There was nothing left but stains, bloodstains and fragments of flesh. Dambudzo marechera dambudzo marechera biography poem. The african ejournals project has digitized full text of.
Dambudzo marechera his life and work interview his vision on african literature. Dambudzo marechera rusape 1952 harare 1987, zimbabwe. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Dambudzo marechera was a zimbabwean novelist and poet. It must have seemed pretty sunny and promising on the plane after the initial difficulties. His father, isaac marechera, was a mortuary attendant and his mother, masvotwa venezia marechera, was a maid for the white families that lived in the whiter area not far from the township. The letter was written after marechera had been expelled from oxford university. Some of his points like about rastafarians were interesting, but he comes off a bit narcissistic. Dambudzo marechera download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.
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