About the book
Dancing with Life is a collection of short stories by the prize winning writer Christopher Mlalazi. He has had stories published in anthologies inside and outside Zimbabwe, but this is his first collection. Mlalazi himself dwells in one of the townships he so convincingly brings to vibrant life in his writing.
Dancing with Life won the 2009 Zimbabwe National Arts Merit Award for Outstanding First Creative Published Book and was given an Honourable Mention in the 2009 Noma Awards for African Publishing, the judges considering it one of the best four books published in Africa in 2008.
Mlalazi is an important author whose work should be found in all serious collections of contemporary African literature. In addition, here is a title to be added to collections designed to inform readers of contemporary life in Africa through fiction writing.
Paul H. Thomas, The African Book Publishing Record
Christopher Mlalazi may well be the most promising younger writer in Zimbabwe today. His fiction captures the edgy energy of townships where young people have learned to be light on their feet, their dancing born of economic necessity and mocking disrespect for traditional authority. Mlalazi depicts contemporary life in Zimbabwe with an uncompromising determination to explore grievous social wounds and with a creative panache that will win him readers within and beyond his home country.
Patricia Alden, Professor of African Literature, St. Lawrence University, USA
Christopher Mlalazi is the rising voice of the ghetto, with all its violence, sharp anger, bitter protestations and tangible promise of a better tomorrow.
Raisedon Baya, Writer and Columnist
In this debut story collection, Christopher Mlalazi has achieved every writer’s dream: he has written the stories of perfectly ordinary people in a way that makes their experiences universal. This collection sparkles with wit, sizzles with style and dances with life. It is a welcome addition to Zimbabwe’s growing canon and will be read and enjoyed for years to come.
Petina Gappah, Writer
Mlalazi’s collection of short stories is an important addition to the new writing from Zimbabwe concentrating on the social disintegration of the country. The stories stand out by being set in Bulawayo, drawing on the distinctive identity of a provincial city, its Ndebele culture, and its marginal relation to the centre. The success of the stories lies in the experiences of ordinary people coping with violence, anger and angst, rather than any self-conscious sense of form.
Noma Award Jury
This collection of eleven “tales from the township” extends what has become something of a tradition in post- independence Zimbabwean writing: vignettes of urban life, generally of the deprived classes, which focus on individual lives in the midst of economic decline and state terrorism... One looks forward to more writing from this new talent.
Dan Wylie, Rhodes University, in wordsetc
Editions of Dancing with Life
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780797435902
Read an Excerpt
Dancing with Life is a collection of short stories by the prize winning writer Christopher Mlalazi. He has had stories published in anthologies inside and outside Zimbabwe, but this is his first collection. Mlalazi himself dwells in one of the townships he so convincingly brings to vibrant life in his writing.
Dancing with Life won the 2009 Zimbabwe National Arts Merit Award for Outstanding First Creative Published Book and was given an Honourable Mention in the 2009 Noma Awards for African Publishing, the judges considering it one of the best four books published in Africa in 2008.
Mlalazi is an important author whose work should be found in all serious collections of contemporary African literature. In addition, here is a title to be added to collections designed to inform readers of contemporary life in Africa through fiction writing.
Paul H. Thomas, The African Book Publishing Record
Christopher Mlalazi may well be the most promising younger writer in Zimbabwe today. His fiction captures the edgy energy of townships where young people have learned to be light on their feet, their dancing born of economic necessity and mocking disrespect for traditional authority. Mlalazi depicts contemporary life in Zimbabwe with an uncompromising determination to explore grievous social wounds and with a creative panache that will win him readers within and beyond his home country.
Patricia Alden, Professor of African Literature, St. Lawrence University, USA
Christopher Mlalazi is the rising voice of the ghetto, with all its violence, sharp anger, bitter protestations and tangible promise of a better tomorrow.
Raisedon Baya, Writer and Columnist
In this debut story collection, Christopher Mlalazi has achieved every writer’s dream: he has written the stories of perfectly ordinary people in a way that makes their experiences universal. This collection sparkles with wit, sizzles with style and dances with life. It is a welcome addition to Zimbabwe’s growing canon and will be read and enjoyed for years to come.
Petina Gappah, Writer
Mlalazi’s collection of short stories is an important addition to the new writing from Zimbabwe concentrating on the social disintegration of the country. The stories stand out by being set in Bulawayo, drawing on the distinctive identity of a provincial city, its Ndebele culture, and its marginal relation to the centre. The success of the stories lies in the experiences of ordinary people coping with violence, anger and angst, rather than any self-conscious sense of form.
Noma Award Jury
This collection of eleven “tales from the township” extends what has become something of a tradition in post- independence Zimbabwean writing: vignettes of urban life, generally of the deprived classes, which focus on individual lives in the midst of economic decline and state terrorism... One looks forward to more writing from this new talent.
Dan Wylie, Rhodes University, in wordsetc
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dancing with Life about?
Dancing with Life is a collection of short stories by the prize winning writer Christopher Mlalazi. He has had stories published in anthologies inside and outside Zimbabwe, but this is his first collection. Mlalazi himself dwells in one of the townships he so convincingly brings to vibrant life in his writing.
Dancing with Life won the 2009 Zimbabwe National Arts Merit Award for Outstanding First Creative Published Book and was given an Honourable Mention in the 2009 Noma Awards for African Publishing, the judges considering it one of the best four books published in Africa in 2008.
Mlalazi is an important author whose work should be found in all serious collections of contemporary African literature. In addition, here is a title to be added to collections designed to inform readers of contemporary life in Africa through fiction writing.
Paul H. Thomas, The African Book Publishing Record
Christopher Mlalazi may well be the most promising younger writer in Zimbabwe today. His fiction captures the edgy energy of townships where young people have learned to be light on their feet, their dancing born of economic necessity and mocking disrespect for traditional authority. Mlalazi depicts contemporary life in Zimbabwe with an uncompromising determination to explore grievous social wounds and with a creative panache that will win him readers within and beyond his home country.
Patricia Alden, Professor of African Literature, St. Lawrence University, USA
Christopher Mlalazi is the rising voice of the ghetto, with all its violence, sharp anger, bitter protestations and tangible promise of a better tomorrow.
Raisedon Baya, Writer and Columnist
In this debut story collection, Christopher Mlalazi has achieved every writer’s dream: he has written the stories of perfectly ordinary people in a way that makes their experiences universal. This collection sparkles with wit, sizzles with style and dances with life. It is a welcome addition to Zimbabwe’s growing canon and will be read and enjoyed for years to come.
Petina Gappah, Writer
Mlalazi’s collection of short stories is an important addition to the new writing from Zimbabwe concentrating on the social disintegration of the country. The stories stand out by being set in Bulawayo, drawing on the distinctive identity of a provincial city, its Ndebele culture, and its marginal relation to the centre. The success of the stories lies in the experiences of ordinary people coping with violence, anger and angst, rather than any self-conscious sense of form.
Noma Award Jury
This collection of eleven “tales from the township” extends what has become something of a tradition in post- independence Zimbabwean writing: vignettes of urban life, generally of the deprived classes, which focus on individual lives in the midst of economic decline and state terrorism... One looks forward to more writing from this new talent.
Dan Wylie, Rhodes University, in wordsetc
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Dancing with Life?
The Arts > The arts: general topics > Art: financial aspects
Where can I read a sample of Dancing with Life?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780797435902
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Dancing with Life?
Christopher Mlalazi
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Dancing with Life is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780797435902)