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Fred Khumalo

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Fred Khumalo
Born (1966-08-04) 4 August 1966 (age 58)
Chesterville, Durban, Natal, South Africa
EducationTechnikon Natal; University of the Witwatersrand
Occupation(s)Journalist and author
Notable workBitches' Brew (2007); Touch My Blood (2011); #ZuptasMustFall (2016); Dancing the Death Drill (2017); Talk of the Town (2019)
AwardsEuropean Union Literary Award;
Alan Paton Award;
Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award
Websitefredkhumalo.wordpress.com

Fred Khumalo (born 4 August 1966) is a South African journalist and author. His books encompass various genres, including novels, non-fiction, memoir and short stories. Among awards he has received are the European Union Literary Award, the Alan Paton Award and the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award. His writing has appeared in various publications, including the Sunday Times, Toronto Star, New African, The Sowetan and Isolezwe. In 2008, he hosted Encounters, a public-debate television programme, on SABC 2.[1]

Biography

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Born in Chesterville, Durban, Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal), Khumalo grew up in Mpumalanga Township.[1] While still at high school he decided to become a writer, and went on to graduate from Durban's Technikon Natal (now the Durban University of Technology) after studying journalism, then earning an MA degree in creative writing from the University of the Witwatersrand with distinction.[1] He is the recipient of a Nieman Fellowship from Harvard University,[2] as well as fellowships from the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, and the Academy for the Arts of the World in Cologne, Germany.[1]

Writing

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As a journalist and columnist, Khumalo has written for publications in South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including for City Press, Sunday World, the Sunday Times, The Sowetan, UmAfrika, Isolezwe, This Day, Toronto Star, New African, and the Mail & Guardian.[3][4] His short stories have appeared in such magazines and literary journals as Drum, Tribute, Pace, Staffrider, and The Johannesburg Review of Books.[1][5]

His first novel, Bitches' Brew (its title referencing the similarly titled album by Miles Davis), was published to acclaim, winning Khumalo the European Union Literary Award in 2006.[6] Reviewer Victor Dlamini wrote in the Sunday Times: "Fred Khumalo bares his own soul by revealing his own love for the beautiful art of jazz. It is his ability to narrate the story of a love that promised so much and how it was strangled by the hard hand of history, that makes Khumalo's novel stand out. He does not flinch from taking the reader beyond the glamour and shine of the life a successful bootlegger and budding musician. ...Khumalo has captured something of the infectious hedonism of the late 60's and early 70's."[7]

His 2011 memoir, Touch My Blood: The Early Years, was adapted by James Ngcobo into a stage production that opened at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.[1] A stage adaptation of his 2017 historical novel Dancing the Death Drill premiered in the UK at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, in 2018.[8]

Khumalo has twice been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize,[9][10] and among his other awards are the 2019 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards for Dancing the Death Drill,[11] and the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award for his 2019 collection Talk of the Town, for which the citation noted: "When a great storyteller and great plots intersect, that leads to magnanimous stories and incredible characters. In his debut short stories collection, the author weaves a number of themes that explicate contemporary topics in South African life. These are moving stories that will drive the reader to extremes of gaiety, disbelief and disgust. The author refuses to be time-bound and his stories look before and beyond apartheid South Africa. When you read them you are bound to pose questions whether you search for an identity or you question the foibles of society. Through these stories, the author examines a society that tries to define itself in exile and at home."[12]

Selected recognition and awards

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Bibliography

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  • Bitches' Brew (novel), Jacana Media, 2007, ISBN 9781770091900
  • Seven Steps to Heaven (novel), Jacana Media, 2008, ISBN 9781770093874
  • Zuma: The Biography of Jacob Zuma, Penguin Random House South Africa, 2008, ISBN 9780143025245
  • Zulu Boy Gone Crazy: Hilarious Tales Post Polokwane, Sandton: KMM Review Publishing, 2010, ISBN 9780620448895
  • Touch My Blood: The Early Years (autobiography), Penguin Random House South Africa, 2011, ISBN 9781415200049
  • The Lighter Side of Life on Robben Island: Banter, pastimes and boyish tricks (with Paddy Harper and Gugu Kunene), Houghton: Makana, 2012, ISBN 9780620540353
  • #ZuptasMustFall, and other rants, Penguin Random House South Africa, 2016, ISBN 9781776091072
  • Dancing the Death Drill (novel), London: Jacaranda Books, 2017, ISBN 9781909762534
  • Talk of the Town: Short stories, Kwela, 2019, ISBN 9780795708985
  • The Longest March (non-fiction), Umuzi/Penguin Random House South Africa, 2019, ISBN 9781415210185[14][15]
  • A Coat of Many Colours (short stories), Kwela Books, 2021, ISBN 9780795710148[16][17]
  • Two Tons o' Fun (novel), Penguin Random House South Africa, 2022, ISBN 9781415210949[18]

Selected shorter writings

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Fred Khumalo". South African History Online. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Fred Khumalo". Library Thing. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Fred Khumalo, Columnist". Sowetan Live. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Fred Khumalo". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Author: Fred Khumalo". The Johannesburg Review of Books. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  6. ^ Kgoleng, Karabo (31 May 2021). "Fred Khumalo's coat of many colours". New Frame. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  7. ^ Dlamini, Victor (25 May 2007). "Review: Bitches' Brew by Fred Khumalo". Books Live | Sunday Times. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Fred Khumalo". adda. Commonwealth Writers. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  9. ^ Murua, James (1 April 2015). "Five Africans on Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015 Shortlist". Writing Africa. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  10. ^ Von Klemperer, Margaret (6 July 2021). "Fred Khumalo's 'Coat of Many Colours' paints a picture of contemporary SA". Sunday Times | Times Live. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  11. ^ Solomon, Jenna (31 March 2022). "'Two Tons O' Fun' is Fred Khumalo's love letter to Alexandra". The South African. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Fred Khumalo". S.A. Literary Awards. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  13. ^ "Fred Khumalo Awarded a PanSALB Multilingualism Award". PEN South Africa. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Fred Khumalo aims to revive Zulu migrant workers' history". SABC News. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  15. ^ Nthunya, Manosa (8 November 2019). "Fred Khumalo: Giving life to those excluded". City Press. News24. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  16. ^ Guy, Duncan (8 May 2021). "Fred Khumalo goes story gathering in Hammarsdale". IOL. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  17. ^ Hichens, Joanne (5 August 2021). "A coat of many colours by Fred Khumalo: an inter-review". Litnet. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  18. ^ Luvhengo, Phathu (21 April 2022). "Fred Khumalo launched his latest Novel in Cresta". Randburg Sun. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
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