Berhanu Zerihun

Berhanu Zerihun (1933/4 – 1987) was an Ethiopian writer noted for his clear and crisp writing style, which contrasted against the more complex writing style popular in his time.

While he started writing literature in school, Zerihun never wrote professionally until he became a journalist in 1959/1960. Initially he embarked on various literary pursuits, including novels such as Ye'imba debdabbéwoch ("Tearful Letters"), a collection of short stories titled Birr ambar sebberelliwo, and writings dealing with Ethiopian political themes such as starvation. Among the latter genre, Yetewodros Emba and Yetangut Mister are noted works of historical fiction about Emperor Tewodros II. Zerihun wrote several popular plays but he is most famous for his trilogy of novels, Ma'ebel Ye'abiot Wazema ("Wave on the eve of a revolution"), Ma'ebel Ye'abiot Mebacha ("Wave on the dawn of the revolution") and Ma'ebel Ye'abiot Magist ("Wave on the aftermath of the revolution"). These novels depicted and interpreted the structure of Ethiopian society during the Imperial era and after the Communist revolution.