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Achmat Dangor (2 October 1948 – 6 September 2020) was a South African writer, poet, and development professional. His most important works include the novels ''Kafka's Curse'' (1997) and '' Bitter Fruit'' (2001). He was also the author of three collections of
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
, a novella, and a
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
collection. Dangor was born in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...
,
Union of South Africa The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Tran ...
. He was one of the founding members of the Congress of South African Writers, and headed up various non-governmental organisations in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, including the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, the
Nelson Mandela Foundation Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
and was the Southern Africa Representative for the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
. In 2015 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the South African Literary Awards (SALA). He lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, with his wife, Audrey, and young son Zachary, and devoted his time to his writing.


Awards

His awards included: * 1998 Herman Charles Bosman Prize for ''Kafka's Curse'' * '' Bitter Fruit'' was shortlisted for the 2004 Booker Prize.


Notable works

* ''Waiting for Leila'' (1981) * ''Voices from Within'' (1982) * ''Bulldozer'' (1983) * ''Majiet'' (1986) * ''The Z Town trilogy'' (1990) * ''Private Voices'' (1992) * ''Kafka’s Curse'' (1997) * '' Bitter Fruit'' (2003) * ''Strange Pilgrimages'' (2013) * ''Dikeledi: Child of Tears, No More'' (2017)


Family

Dangor is the brother of
Jessie Duarte Yasmin "Jessie" Duarte (; 19 September 1953 – 17 July 2022) was a South African politician and acting secretary-general of the African National Congress. A longtime anti-apartheid activist, she served variously as a special assistant to Nels ...
.


References


External links


Interview with Achmat Dangor on The Ledge
an independent platform for world literature (includes excerpt and audio) __NOTOC__ 1948 births 2020 deaths South African male poets South African male novelists South African people of Indian descent South African people of Dutch descent 20th-century South African poets 20th-century South African novelists 21st-century South African poets 21st-century South African novelists 20th-century South African male writers 21st-century South African male writers {{SouthAfrica-writer-stub