ES'KIA MPHAHLELE DIES

ES’KIA MPHAHLELE DIES

By Peter Moroe

The literary community in South Africa and the world in general is reeling after the demise of Es’kia (Ezekiel) Mphahlele, one of the all-time greats of African literature. Cliches and superlatives are often carelessly used to describe certain people, but Ntate Mphahlele was a veritable giant in the world of literature and letters. His prolific publications included books and essays (including critical articles). In fact the National English Literary Museum in Grahamstown has hundreds of articles written on the works of this great man.

The achievements of Es’kia Mphahlele were such that by the late 60s he was already regarded as one of the greats of African writing! We recall that the late Richard Rive (in an interview) described Es’kia decades ago as “the grand old man of African literature”. By this time Es’kia had already published excellent works, including the classic, Down Second Avenue.

Just as Chinua Achebe (for example) will always be remembered for publishing Things fall apart, so would many continue to remember Es’kia for the work, Down Second Avenue. In the book, we follow the progress of the young literary prodigy from infancy, with his love for words and his burgeoning proficiency in the English and Afrikaans languages. We realize the great importance and selflessness of “African mothers” in general; and how people could survive despite daunting odds.

We also appreciate the author’s controlled humour. For example when at the end of his tether with an arrogant white lady always referring to him as “boy” (although he was very much a grown man then) Es’kia retorts: “What makes you think I am a boy, and not a girl?” This type of humour - in tow with his always impeccable (literary) style- is a characteristic of virtually all his works.

In the field of fiction, Es’kia contributed to African fiction with excellent works like The Wanderers, and Chirundu. The Wanderers focuses on a peripatetic émigré (rather like the author) who lived in different continents and countries. The work won important awards and still makes interesting reading.

Back to autobiography, (like his Down Second Avenue) Es’kia published a sequel to his first classic, titled, Africa my Music. This book is a must for all lovers of African literature in general, especially the key writers over the decades. Es’kia was personal friends with most of them and it is fascinating reading about when these writers were all quite young – and Es’kia’s astute comments on them. These writers include Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chinua Achebe, Efua T Sutherland, and Ama Ata Aidoo.

For many years (before he began to write novels) Es’kia was known as a powerful short story writer. Early in life against all odds he published his first collection of short stories, Man must live (in the 40s) The book was fairly successful – and he went on to write many more including acclaimed novellas like Ms Plum. Other collections included In Corner B. And need we mention Es’kia’s successful stint at Drum magazine decades ago when he contributed many excellent short stories?

As for Eskia’s contributions to the genre of literary criticism and scholarship – one is not qualified to go into this. Suffice it to say that he was revered worldwide for his erudition and proficiency. The “ES’KIA” books (containing most of his critical essays) will remain an indelible tribute to him.

Rest in peace, Es’kia Mphahlele.

Stephen Gray vs Zakes Mda

Tiff between revered literary critics

By Raphael Mokoena

8/10/08

The literary scene in South Africa this week has been largely dominated by the literary “brickbats” between two of the country’s greatest academics and writers, Stephen Gray and Zakes Mda. Mr. Gray published a piece in a national newspaper (Mail and Guardian) where he criticised a number of aspects of Mr. Mda’s writing. The latter responded vigorously – both of them rather strongly picking on each other with more than a hint of personal attacks.

The furore awakened what many black African people in the literary business have known for years. The genre of literary criticism does not sit too well with most of our writers, and in the end it becomes difficult to separate authentic literary criticism from personal attacks. Over the decades as African literature grew by leaps and bounds, friendships between writers had been ruptured, with resentment in the air all because of “literary criticism”

Writer and cultural activist, Aryan Kaganof has referred to “mean spiritedness” (accusing Stephen Gray of this). But the history of literary criticism over the years and centuries shows that in so many cases critics can easily be accused of this, even if this might not be their intention. Often literary criticism goes too far and it does seem as if the pertinent critic has something against the writer being “attacked”.

A case in point was the way James Joyce’s immortal masterpiece, Ulysses, was greeted by some top critics after the book was first published. The great Virginia Woolf remarked on it thus: “Ulysses is the work of a queasy undergraduate scratching his pimples”; DH Lawrence, top writer commented: “The last part of Ulysses is the most indecent, dirtiest, most obscene thing ever written. It is filthy”; literary critic, Edmund Goose said: “The author (of Ulysses) is a charlatan…the book is an anarchical production, infamous in taste, in style, everything”

As regards the “tiff” between Stephen Gray and Zakes Mda, both of them remain formidable literary activists and writers. I can not agree with the suggestion that a literary figure can only be judged on their prolificacy and having books on the shelf almost on a yearly basis. Whether Chinua Achebe published any more novels after his classic Things fall apart came out fifty years ago, he would always be revered for his pioneering masterpiece (indeed, Achebe has not published any new novel for over 20 years). Stephen Gray is ensconced as a very important critic and imaginative writer whose works have been published world-wide, with many different editions.

On his own part, despite the fact that Zakes Mda began publishing novels less than fifteen years ago, he has already proved that he’s at the top of his craft, and he has quickly joined the elite of the all time great novelists in the continent. Works of his like Heart of Redness, Madonna of Excelsior, Ways of Dying belong to the top drawer. Of course he is also a veritable academic too. He and Stephen Gray know only too well that the genre of literary criticism is often an acerbic one. But one always regrets seeing personal attacks between illustrious people (in this case, wordsmiths.)
Mr. Mokoena, a literary activist, lives in Qwaqwa.