Mwangupili pens Sons of The Hills
Renowned poet and creative writer Ndongolera Mwangupili has penned his first-ever novel, a thriller titled Sons of The Hills.
The setting is an unnamed southern African country and it focuses on the life of twin brothers and offers an entanglement of African life through its politics and culture.
The writer says the country in question is a representation of the political mismanagement of most African countries.
“It’s a story that narrates the life we see around us from a new perspective. It talks about corruption, maladministration and the cultural practices that we normally fear to address openly. It is a fusion of all aspects of African life,” he said in an interview.
Mwangupili said his narrative has also been influenced by events at home such as the Cashgate scandal and the public demonstrations which preceded last year’s court-sanctioned presidential election.
He said: “I don’t think a writer writes from nothing. Writers are influenced by situations and realities around them to create stories. Reality informs fiction and in the course fiction will inform reality.”
Mwangupili further said he needed as a writer to assume responsibility to show society a direction of thoughts collectively and individually premised on the developments.
The writer said: “I thought I needed to chronicle African life in characters in long prose. A lot occurs in our life from politics, to community life, love and developments in our work places. I believe a writer has a purpose to educate and liberate the society he lives in.”
Mwangupili added that time has come for the Malawian reader to appreciate narratives that interpret their lives, enlighten them rather than just reading for fun.
Despite Sons of The Hills being his first novel, Mwangupili has written and published extensively. Some of his work includes a poetry collection titled Fragments of My Broken Voice, Sir Beatrice Chipeta a biography of a Catholic nun and founder of Lusubilo Child Care Centre and English Language Book for MSCE.
The novel is expected to be on the shelves at the end of this month and it will be published by Ndongo Consultants and printed by Montifort Media. Mwangupili said once released it will be available on Amazon as an ebook.
Creative writer Temwani Mgunda, who previewed the novel, said the story has aptly tackled the issues of family and politics while successfully capturing the spirit of the times and our contemporary political history.
“In terms of style, the writer has effectively employed suspense… something you usually find in the novels of American writers such as Sydney Sheldon,” he said. n
