Mzi Mahola
Encyclopedia
Mzi Mahola was born on 12 February 1949 as Mzikayise Winston Mahola.
Mzi Mahola is his nom de plume. He is a South Africa
n writer and poet
.
while he was at school. The Special Branch confiscated his first poetry
manuscript
in 1976 and he lost interest in writing for twelve years. After this period he started writing again, submitting work successfully to national and international
journals
, magazine
s and publication
s. His work has been published in more than eight anthologies
.
His first book with poems is titled 'Strange Things' and was published in 1994 by Snail Press. This volume received positive review
ing and was amongst those selected to represent South Africa
in Geneva
in a World Book Fair in 1995. There was interest in translating the book into German
and Danish
, but this has not materialised to date.
His second volume 'When Rain Comes' was published in 2000 by Carapace and won the Olive Schreiner Prize
.
At the moment he is editing
and finalizing a semi-biographical novel
called 'The Broken Link'. It will be finished by early next year (2005).
He has presented papers and given speeches at the National Arts Festival and at other venues for school children. He gives poetry readings for University
groups and community
project
s. Now and then he runs poetry
workshop
s around the Province
for interested groups of writers.
He initiated a poetry workshops that caters for learners at his neighbourhood library, Zwide Library. With the support of Nelson Mandela Metropole Municipality the workshop participants published an anthology entitled Umthombo (Xhosa word for 'The Fountain').
Mzi Mahola is his nom de plume. He is a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n writer and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Biography
Mzi Mahola started writingWriting
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
while he was at school. The Special Branch confiscated his first poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
in 1976 and he lost interest in writing for twelve years. After this period he started writing again, submitting work successfully to national and international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
journals
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s and publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
s. His work has been published in more than eight anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
.
His first book with poems is titled 'Strange Things' and was published in 1994 by Snail Press. This volume received positive review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
ing and was amongst those selected to represent South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in a World Book Fair in 1995. There was interest in translating the book into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, but this has not materialised to date.
His second volume 'When Rain Comes' was published in 2000 by Carapace and won the Olive Schreiner Prize
Olive Schreiner Prize
The Olive Schreiner Prize is an annual award to new and emergent talent administered by the English Academy of South Africa.-Award winners:*2010 Poetry Finuala Dowling Notes from the Dementia Ward*2009 Prose Michael Cawood Green For The Sake of Silence...
.
At the moment he is editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and finalizing a semi-biographical novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
called 'The Broken Link'. It will be finished by early next year (2005).
He has presented papers and given speeches at the National Arts Festival and at other venues for school children. He gives poetry readings for University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
groups and community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
project
Project
A project in business and science is typically defined as a collaborative enterprise, frequently involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems that are constituted by teams...
s. Now and then he runs poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s around the Province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
for interested groups of writers.
He initiated a poetry workshops that caters for learners at his neighbourhood library, Zwide Library. With the support of Nelson Mandela Metropole Municipality the workshop participants published an anthology entitled Umthombo (Xhosa word for 'The Fountain').