Education
Ondjaki studied sociology at the University of Lisbon, and wrote his thesis about Angolan writer Luandino Vieira.
Ondjaki studied sociology at the University of Lisbon, and wrote his thesis about Angolan writer Luandino Vieira.
He lives in Luanda, the Angolan capital, and has written poetry, children"s books, short stories, novels, drama and film scripts. His literary debut came in 2000 with the poetry book Actu Sanguíneu, which was followed up with the childhood memoir Bom dia camaradas (”Good Morning, Comrades”) in 2001. He has also made a documentary film, May Cherries Grow, about his native city.
His books have been translated to French, Spanish, Italian, German, Serbian, English, Polish and Swedish.
Granma Nineteen and the Soviet"s Secrets is his most recent book in English (Spring 2014, from Biblioasis). In 2012, he was named by Zukiswa Wanner in The Guardian as one of the "top five African writers" (alongside Léonora Miano, H J Golakai, Chika Unigwe and Thando Mgqolozana).
He is one of 39 writers aged under 40 from sub-Saharan Africa who in April 2014 were chosen as part of the Hay Festival"s prestigious Africa39 project 2008 Grinzane for young writer Prize - Ethiopia.
2008 Grinzane for young writer Prize - Ethiopia 2010 literatura em lingua portuguesa Prize - by FNLIJ, Brazil, with AvóDezanove e o segredo do soviético (available in English, in Canada) 2010 São Paulo Prize for Literature — Shortlisted in the Best Book of the Year category for AvóDezanove e o Segredo do Soviético 2010 Jabuti Prize - Brazil, with AvóDezanove e o segredo do soviético 2011 Caxinde do conto infantil Prize - Angola, with Ombela, a estória das chuvas 2012 Bissaya Barreto Prize - Portugal, with a bicicleta que tinha bigodes 2013 literatura em lingua portuguesa Prize - by FNLIJ, Brazil, with A bicicleta que tinha bigodes 2013 José Saramago Prize - with Os Transparentes 2014 Selected as part of the Hay Festival"s prestigious Africa39 project featuring 39 writers from sub-Saharan Africa aged under 40. 2014 literatura em lingua portuguesa Prize - by FNLIJ, Brazil, with uma escuridão bonita 2014 Jabuti Prize (juvenile category, 3rd place) - Brazil, with uma escuridão bonita.
