Mungoshi left lots of unpublished works

By Kundai Marunya

The late veteran writer Charles Mungoshi is said to have left lots of unpublished manuscripts, short stories and poetry.

The work which his family plans to publish has not yet been quantified.

In an interview with Herald Arts, Mungoshi’s son Farayi said the work will be published over time.

“I will have to check on all works, but there are novel manuscripts, many short stories and poetry. Some of the poetry was written under the pseudonym Carlos Manhizi way before independence.

“There is a huge stack just lying around at our home, some of it typewritten, some handwritten which we intend to publish overtime.”

Farayi who is also an award-wining writer said some of the writtings are decades old.

“My father wrote his last work before he fell sick in 2010. I believe this troubled him a lot, being of sound mind but his body failing him to do what he loved most,” he said.

“We will however keep his name and legacy alive by continuously publishing his work.

“We will find ways to complete some of his incomplete work.”

The Mungoshi family is currently working on publishing a novel titled “Song of the Silent Deep River”.

“The book has already been edited. We are currently working on cover designs for the book,” said Farayi.

“We expect to publish the book and launch it as we celebrate his birthday on December 2 this year.”

“Songs of the Silent Deep River” is a folk story that has been written in a way to relate to all age groups.

Farayi said the book was typewritten before the digital age but his father never got to publish it.

To broaden their reach, the Mungoshis are engaging internationally recognised publishers.

“We normally publish under our family company Mungoshi Publishing but with this novel we are looking at partnering with a bigger publisher with an international appeal,” he said.

Charles Mungoshi died in February this year at the age of 71.

He has a catalogue of books, among them the world-acclaimed “Waiting for the Rain”. The Herald