Achmat Dangor is a South African writer. His most important works include the novels Kafka's Curse (1997) and Bitter Fruit

Bitter Fruit

Bitter Fruit is a novel by Achmat Dangor first published in 2001 by Kwela Books of Cape Town. Set in South Africa in 1998, it is about the disintegration of a Coloured family in the years after the end of apartheid.-Plot summary:...

(2001), but he is also the author of three collections of poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

, a novella

Novella

A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...

 and a short-story collection. He is the winner of many literary prizes, including the South African Bosman prize for Kafka's Curse.
Dangor is also an active development professional and has headed up various non-governmental organisations in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, including the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund

Nelson Mandela Children's Fund

The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund is a charitable organization founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22, particularly orphans of the AIDS crisis.-History:...

. He is currently Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and lives in Johannesburg, South Africa with his wife, Audrey, and young son Zachary.

External links

• Interview with Achmat Dangor on The Ledge, an independent platform for world literature (includes excerpt and audio)