WRITERS from Mozambique

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Mozambican Writers of all time. This list of famous Mozambican Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Mia Couto (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 50.54, Mia Couto is the most famous Mozambican Writer.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages on wikipedia.

António Emílio Leite Couto, better known as Mia Couto (born 5 July 1955), is a Mozambican writer. He won the Camões Prize in 2013, the most important literary award in the Portuguese language, and the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2014.

2. José Craveirinha (1922 - 2003)

With an HPI of 45.94, José Craveirinha is the 2nd most famous Mozambican Writer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

José Craveirinha (28 May 1922 – 6 February 2003) was a Mozambican journalist, story writer and poet, who is today considered the greatest poet of Mozambique. His poems, written in Portuguese, address such issues as racism and the Portuguese colonial domination of Mozambique. A supporter of the anti-Portuguese group FRELIMO during the colonial wars, he was imprisoned in the 1960s. He was one of the African pioneers of the Négritude movement, and published six books of poetry between 1964 and 1997. Craveirinha also wrote under the pseudonyms Mário Vieira, José Cravo, Jesuíno Cravo, J. Cravo, J.C., Abílio Cossa, and José G. Vetrinha.

3. Paulina Chiziane (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 43.91, Paulina Chiziane is the 3rd most famous Mozambican Writer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Paulina "Poulli" Chiziane (born 4 June 1955, Manjacaze, southern province of Gaza, Mozambique) is an author of novels and short stories in the Portuguese language. She was awarded the 2021 Camões Prize for literature, awarded to writers from Portuguese-speaking countries.