The Most Famous
WRITERS from Zimbabwe
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Zimbabwean Writers of all time. This list of famous Zimbabwean Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Alexander McCall Smith (b. 1948)
With an HPI of 48.64, Alexander McCall Smith is the most famous Zimbabwean Writer. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.
Sir Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith (born 24 August 1948) is a Scottish legal scholar and author of fiction. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and was formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an expert on medical law and bioethics and served on related British and international committees. He has since become known as a fiction writer, with sales in English exceeding 40 million by 2010 and translations into 46 languages. He is known as the creator of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. The "McCall" derives from his great-great-grandmother Bethea McCall, who married James Smith at Glencairn, Dumfries-shire, in 1833.
2. Paula Hawkins (b. 1972)
With an HPI of 46.39, Paula Hawkins is the 2nd most famous Zimbabwean Writer. Her biography has been translated into 30 different languages.
Paula Hawkins (born 26 August 1972) is a British author best known for her top-selling psychological thriller novel The Girl on the Train (2015), which deals with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse. The novel was adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt in 2016. Hawkins' second thriller novel, Into the Water, was released in 2017.
3. Tsitsi Dangarembga (b. 1959)
With an HPI of 45.80, Tsitsi Dangarembga is the 3rd most famous Zimbabwean Writer. Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.
Tsitsi Dangarembga (born 4 February 1959) is a Zimbabwean novelist, playwright and filmmaker. Her debut novel, Nervous Conditions (1988), which was the first to be published in English by a Black woman from Zimbabwe, was named by the BBC in 2018 as one of the top 100 books that have shaped the world. She has won other literary honours, including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the PEN Pinter Prize. In 2020, her novel This Mournable Body was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2022, Dangarembga was convicted in a Zimbabwe court of inciting public violence, by displaying, on a public road, a placard asking for reform.
4. Chenjerai Hove (1956 - 2015)
With an HPI of 34.94, Chenjerai Hove is the 4th most famous Zimbabwean Writer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Chenjerai Hove (9 February 1956 – 12 July 2015), was a Zimbabwean poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both English and Shona. "Modernist in their formal construction, but making extensive use of oral conventions, Hove's novels offer an intense examination of the psychic and social costs - to the rural population, especially, of the war of liberation in Zimbabwe." He died on 12 July 2015 while living in exile in Norway, with his death attributed to liver failure.
5. Yvonne Vera (1964 - 2005)
With an HPI of 34.72, Yvonne Vera is the 5th most famous Zimbabwean Writer. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Yvonne Vera (19 September 1964 – 7 April 2005) was an author from Zimbabwe. Her first published book was a collection of short stories, Why Don't You Carve Other Animals (1992), which was followed by five novels: Nehanda (1993), Without a Name (1994), Under the Tongue (1996), Butterfly Burning (1998), and The Stone Virgins (2002). According to the African Studies Center at University of Leiden, "her novels are known for their poetic prose, difficult subject-matter, and their strong women characters, and are firmly rooted in Zimbabwe's difficult past." For these reasons, she has been widely studied and appreciated by those studying postcolonial African literature.
6. NoViolet Bulawayo (b. 1981)
With an HPI of 28.56, NoViolet Bulawayo is the 6th most famous Zimbabwean Writer. Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
NoViolet Bulawayo is the pen name of Elizabeth Zandile Tshele (born 12 October 1981), a Zimbabwean author. In 2012, the National Book Foundation named her a "5 under 35" honoree. She was named one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2014. Her debut novel, We Need New Names, was shortlisted for the 2013 Booker Prize, and her second novel, Glory, was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, making her "the first Black African woman to appear on the Booker list twice".
7. Debora Patta (b. 1964)
With an HPI of 23.76, Debora Patta is the 7th most famous Zimbabwean Writer. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Debora Patta (born 1 September 1964) is a South African investigative broadcast journalist and television producer. She was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and has origins from Calabria, Italy. Patta is the Africa correspondent for the American news program The CBS Evening News. She has been with CBS since 2013, following her departure from the long running investigative and current affairs show, 3rd Degree with Debora Patta.
People
Pantheon has 7 people classified as Zimbabwean writers born between 1948 and 1981. Of these 7, 5 (71.43%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Zimbabwean writers include Alexander McCall Smith, Paula Hawkins, and Tsitsi Dangarembga. The most famous deceased Zimbabwean writers include Chenjerai Hove, and Yvonne Vera. As of April 2024, 2 new Zimbabwean writers have been added to Pantheon including Chenjerai Hove, and Yvonne Vera.
Living Zimbabwean Writers
Go to all Rankings
Alexander McCall Smith
1948 - Present
HPI: 48.64
Paula Hawkins
1972 - Present
HPI: 46.39
Tsitsi Dangarembga
1959 - Present
HPI: 45.80
NoViolet Bulawayo
1981 - Present
HPI: 28.56
Debora Patta
1964 - Present
HPI: 23.76
