Meja Mwangi (born 27 December 1948) is a Kenyan writer. He has worked in the film industry, including in

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, dev ...

, assistant directing, and

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or ...

Biography

Mwangi was born David Dominic Mwangi in

Nanyuki Nanyuki is a market town in Laikipia County of Kenya lying northwest of Mount Kenya along the A2 road (Kenya), A2 road and at the terminus of the branch railway from Nairobi. The name is derived from Enyaanyukie Maasai word for resemblance. It ...

, Kenya, and was educated at Nanyuki Secondary School, Kenyatta College, and briefly at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

.He did not complete a full university degree at University of Leeds. He then worked for the French Broadcasting Corporation doing odd jobs and the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

as Visual Aids Officer, before turning to writing full-time. He was Fellow in Writing at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

(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. 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 The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

epidemic.

Prizes and awards

For general readers

Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature The Text Book Centre Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature is a biennial literary award given by the Kenya Publishers' Association. It has been called "the most prestigious literary award in the country". The first award ceremony took place in 1974 ...

for '' Kill Me Quick'' (1974 – English winner); ''The Last Plague'' (2001 – English winner); ''Boy Gift'' (2007 – English Youth third place); ''Big Chief'' (2009 – English Adult Fiction third place). *

Lotus Prize for Literature The Lotus Prize for Literature (also known as Lotus International Reward for Literature or The Lotus Prize for African and Asian Literature) is a literary award presented annually to African and Asian authors by the Afro-Asian Writers' Associati ...

(1978) presented by the

Afro-Asian Writers' Association Afro-Asians, African Asians, Blasians, or simply Black Asians are people of mixed Asian and African ancestry. Historically, Afro-Asian populations have been marginalised as a result of human migration and social conflict. Africa Democratic ...

(aka Association of Asian and African Writers)

For juvenile readers

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis The (German Youth Literature Award) is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's and young adult literature. It is Germany's only ...

(German Youth Literature Prize), for ''Kariuki und sein weißer Freund. Eine Erzählung aus Kenia'' (''Little White Man'' (1990), title changed to ''The Mzungu Boy'' (1992)) * Le Prix Lire au College for ''Kariuki'' (1992) *

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

(USA) Notable Children's Books Award for Older Readers, ''The Mzungu Boy'' (2006)

Shortlist

Noma Award The Noma Prizes were established by Shoichi Noma, or in his honor. More than one award is conventionally identified as the ''Noma Prize''. Noma was the former head of Kodansha, the Japanese publishing and bookselling company. Kodansha is Japan's ...

(Honourable mention), for ''Bread of Sorrow'' (1989) *

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

(Nomination), for ''The Last Plague'' (2002)

Literary works

In English

* * Adapted for the film "Cry Freedom

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Translations

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Theatre, screenplays, other adaptations

* (adaptation of ''The Big Chiefs'' – 2007) * (adaptation of ''Mama Dudu, the Insect Woman'' – 2007)

Filmography

* * *

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mwangi, Meja 1948 births Living people Kenyan writers International Writing Program alumni Kenyan screenwriters People from Laikipia County Alumni of the University of Leeds