CAMAGU SOMANA (South Africa)

Many readers - Africa in mind here - find short stories in particular tantalising and gripping.  Such creative works are much easier to read and follow  compared  to novels. And some writers are specialists in this genre. A world class example that easily comes to mind is Katherine Mansfield.

Many, if not most of Africa's best writers, including novelists over the decades, published a lot of short stories too. Like Achebe, Mphahlele, Ekwensi, Marechera, Ngugi, Mabel Segun etc. Among the younger generation many literary pundits associate short stories with the polished Lesotho writer, Leseli Mokhele. He began to write short fiction from a young age.

So did CAMAGU SOMANA, whom those in the know would dub a born writer. He was barely 20 when he was publishing fiction of the shorter variety in South Africa. The flow was remarkable to the extent that very early in Ntate Somana's career, the late critic Peter Moroe wrote and published a fine critique of his work.

Literary critic Pule Lechesa, who has published many books on Literature, authors, and literary appreciation, says: "I read many of the early fiction of Camagu Somana.  It was glittering talent from a very young age. It seemed to fizzle out... ? At the moment, one can describe him as a marmoreal wordsmith but brimming with promise.  Will he fulfil his literary potential?"

And Camagu writes a lot of poetry too, quite polished poetry, an astonishing amount of it accessible on the internet.  A cerebral, sensitive, vivid character, his works cover a large canvas.

 

A selection of stories published by Camagu Somana