Comments on: Zimbabwe is a short story country

By: Ruby Magosvongwe

Ruby Magosvongwe — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:13:17 +0000

Indeed, like Juliana Gabari rightly observes, Zimbabweans write short stories effortlessly. The evening of 5thSeptember, 2008 remains memorable in its recognition of the talent of the young short story writers from our schools through The Standard Newspaper’s Cover to Cover children’s short story writing competition.Though the entrants are young in every sense of the word, their creativity, imagination,ideas and uncorrupted experiences will never be young.
Zimbabwe, indeed, is a short story country.The canonical trend setters of Zimbabwean Literature, escaped the throttling grip, noose and net of the Rhodesia Literature Bereau via the short story. Marechera and Mungoshi are classic examples as shown in some of their short stories in Coming of the dry season and The House of hunger respectively.
The brevity and incisiveness of the short story has also allowed many a Zimbabwean to capture the defining moments in Zimbabwe’s history with considerable ease. Like poetry, the short story has also given both writer and reader the leeway to interpret events in the manner they best comprehend. The forthcoming Cover to Cover anthology of children’s short stories, perhaps, does bear testimony to how much ground the short story has covered and can cover in Zimbabwe.

By: Ruby Magosvongwe and Steven Millhauser on the short story : Zimbablog - Many Zimbabweans. One Blog.

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:59:53 +0000

[...] Steven Millhauser who presented the short story as more important than the novel. Speaking at a high school short story contest award ceremony recently, Magosvonge labelled Zimbabwe “a short story country.” To make [...]

By: sam zano

sam zano — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:50:15 +0000

I see what all of you mean. It is also very valid, cdes. My point is that the learned lady made a point we hadn’t noticed all these years. It is like saying Zambia is copper country. It does not mean that Zambians do not mine any other thing or should not try other minerals. It means, whatever we mine in zambia, let us take note that in copper we have done extremely well and we are known for copper more than anything! An identity. Nigeria, or West Africa, I notice is NOVEl territory. South Africa has always been DRAMA territory. Russia is huge novel territory: Tolstoy and Doestovesky wrote them big. Somebody must dopaper on this. Or maybe its just like why is it madhumbe anoita kwaMutare? Tipei mhinduro muzvinafundo Magosvongwe!

By: Emmanuel Sigauke

Emmanuel Sigauke — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:59:57 +0000

Juliana,

Tanga tichiti zvatava nyanzvi demashort story acho, anofarirwa chaizvo nevaverengi vedu, we much embrace the fully (even lavishly) cultivated world of the novel. Tinawo manovel anonwisa mvura (Ignatius Mabasa, Mungoshi wacho, ko iye Chinodya), asi ngative naana Chimamanda veduwo, towedzera vanaTagwira, hezvi Gappah achaburitsa rake gore rinouya. Tichiaruka kudaro, ngatisngogumira pakurudira kunyorwa kwayo chete; ngatikurudzirewo uwandu hwevaverengi. I know kuti mashort story edu anotapira, asi ndodawo kuti tinakirwe nemanovels takawanda, tigobaika hedu nekuatenga akawanda. Hongu, vaverengi vedu vazhinji pari zvino vari kurwisana nezvingutsa matumbu, asi zvanzi zvicharamba zvakadaro here? As we rebuild many aspects of Zim life, let’s also cultivate a readership that continues to enjoy the short story while taking big bites of the novel. Unozviona sei?

By: juliana Gabari

juliana Gabari — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:26:29 +0000

I disagree with you Emmanuel and Fungai. It is stereotypical and Victorian to think that writers and national literatures only become great when they produce the novel. Zvakatiurayira shona literature! The novel in shona imitated Dickens, hardy and Bronte pakungoratidza munhu achirwisana nenhamo pakukura. it only changed when Mungoshi Charles came along.Munhu wese kubva wati munovel sika? Aiwa! Ukazvitarisa, iye Mungoshi might never go beyond Coming of The Dry season! I mean in terms of vision, clarity netruthfulness of idiom. Akazoikunda House of Hunger iye Marechera. Mashort stories ake House, zvamboko zvega zvega. We need to invite Ruby Magosvongwe on this foumn to clarify her view. But I agree that zim is a short story country. zimbos write short stories effortlessly! Musakanganwe Kanengoni’seffortless Tears (short stories zvakare) NaChinodya shimmer’s Can We talk? Iwe!!

By: fungaijames

fungaijames — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:26:26 +0000

Yes. We really need some great novels if we are to make a mark as the global literary powerhouse that we are.

By: Emmanuel Sigauke

Emmanuel Sigauke — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:12:23 +0000

Good speech. Let’s, however, cultivate a readership that hungers for longer, multi-genre works? I think the Zim story is becoming a grand affair, and should, appropriatley, demand the emergence of the great Zimbabwean novel, sooner or later.

NB: I’m working on short stories too, but I believe a stronger readership (one that moves beyond the class) needs to be nurtured.