adminsubsequent Independence.
There is not much concern with form and even the ‘content of form.’
Meanwhile, there has been a fierce and unprecedented upsurge of short story writing in Zimbabwe since about 1997 (specifically at the turn of the century), virtually drowning out all other literary forms.
As a result it is difficult to discuss ‘new literature’ in Zimbabwe without first acknowledging the predominance of the short story form in Zimbabwe for the past decade.
These lists below are useful but by no means exhaustive:
Multiple authored short story anthologies are: A Roof to Repair (2001: College Press, Harare), No more Plastic Balls (2000: Robert Muponde and Clement Chihota (eds), College Press, Harare), Writing Still (2003: Irene Staunton (ed), Weaver Press, Harare), Writing Now (2005: Irene Staunton, Weaver Press, Harare), Short writings from Bulawayo (2003), Short Writings from Bulawayo II (2005), Short Writings from Bulawayo III (2006) all three edited by Jane Moris of a’mabooks, Bulawayo Creatures Great and Small (2006: Jairos Kangira (ed), Mambo Press, Gweru), Light a Candle (2006: Eresina Wede (ed) Zimbabwe Women Writers, Harare), Women writing Zimbabwe (2008: Irene Staunton (ed) Weaver Press, Harare) and Long Time Coming: Short Writings from Zimbabwe(2009: Jane Moris (ed) a’mabooks, Bulawayo) and others.
Individual authored short story anthologies are: Wonder Guchu’s Sketches of High Density Suburb (2004) and My Children: My Home (2008) Kawengo Samachai’s The Job That Ner Was (2004), Julius Chingono’s Not Another Day (2006), Memory Chirere’s Somewhere in this Country (2006), Christopher Mlalazi’s Dancing with Life; Tales From The Township (2008) Lawrence Hoba’s The Trek and other Stories (2009), Daniel Mandishona’s White Gods Black Demons (2009), Petina Gappah’s An Elegy for Easterly(2009), Monica Cheru’s Chivi Sunsets: Not For Scientists (2012) and others.
What could be the reasons for such a proliferation of the short story within such a short time? Is this proliferation separate from what the stories are meant to achieve by both their writers and publishers?
And why do they want to achieve their goals through the short story?
Has this phenomenon ever occurred elsewhere in Africa?
Maybe under Zimbabwe’s economic challenges at the turn of the century, it appeared convenient for any conscientious publisher to capture various voices in one multi-authored book.
Each of these books tends to carry, on average, no less than fifteen authors. Besides, there is happily the ‘pretence’ towards democratising space through having dialoguing voices. Maybe the short story form offers the writer the opportunity to practice and experiment in preparation for longer narratives.
But Zimbabwe may have just been ‘a short story country’ all along. Nearly all Zimbabwean writers who have become prominent today started with short stories or have a short story book along their career.
Here we go: Dambudzo Marechera’s House of Hunger, Charles Mungoshi’s Coming of the Dry Season, David Mungoshi’s Broken Dream and Other stories, Yvonne Vera’s Why Don’t You Carve Other Animals, Stanley Nyamfukudza’s Aftermaths, Chenjerai Hove’s Matende Mashava . . .
Even the so called novels from Zimbabwe tend to be merely long-short stories sometimes called novellas.
There are various reasons for this and please get in touch with me if you are anxious to know more.
Online Reporter