Young author’s creative style gaining quite a following
BONGANI Kona is a Zimbabwean-born writer and editor based in Cape Town. He was shortlisted for the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing and he is the co-editor of Migrations, an anthology of short fiction from Short Story Day Africa. His writing has appe
Was reading a big part of how you were brought up?
Definitely! The book that had the most profound impact on me was Mindblast by the Zimbabwean writer Dambudzo Marechera. It’s a collection of plays, poetry and fiction. I read it in one night: stayed up till 5am going cover to cover. I was 12. I’d never had the experience of finding myself in a text – it was profound. The fact that I could recognise the places and things he was talking about… I suppose he gave language to the world I was already living in.
When did you first start writing?
The first short story I ever wrote – a thriller that had John Grisham’s fingerprints all over it – was in primary school for a class assignment. All I remember is that it was set entirely on a train: an odd choice, because I’d never been on a train before. I didn’t think much about it, but after it was finished the teacher asked me to read it to the class. I dab- bled a bit in poetry and playwriting in high school but only started thinking of writing as a career when I got to university.
How did you learn your craft?
Primarily through reading. I only ever wanted to write because I loved reading so much and still do.
At what point did you start to feel confidence in your own writing?
That’s a really interesting question because I’ve never been a confident person. There’s a great line from a short story by Lorrie Moore which goes: “I don’t have talent, I have willingness.” I really like that because I’m still finding my feet as a writer and even if I don’t have confidence the most important thing for me is willingness: willingness to learn, to make mistakes, to figure things out.
What are you writing at the moment?
A heart-breaking work of staggering genius! No, I’m just kidding. I’m working on my creative writing master’s thesis.
What are you reading at the moment?
I entered an online competition and I won a signed copy of Swing Time by Zadie Smith so I’m reading that. She’s one of my favourite novelists and I always come away with a feeling of joy from reading her books. It’s about how she sees the world – her generosity of heart and sense of humour.
Reading and telling stories with the children in your life is one of the most powerful gifts you can give them. It builds their knowledge, language ability and imagination, helping children to become motivated and curious learners with greater capacity to succeed at school. For more information about the Nal’ibali campaign, or to download more benefits of telling and reading stories with children (available in all 11 South African languages), visit: www.nalibali.org or www.nalibali.mobi