The Modern Novel

Biography

Paulina Chiziane was born in Manjacaze in 1977 but grew up in the suburbs of Maputo. Her family spoke the Chope and Ronga languages. She learned Portuguese at school. She studied linguistics at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane but did not finish the course, not least because she was involved in the Mozambican independence movement, Frelimo. However, she became disillusioned with the movement and concentrated on her writing.

She was the first woman to publish a novel in Mozambique, though she had started by publishing stories in magazines. One of of her key themes, particularly in her first novel to be translated into English, Niketche: Uma História de Poligamia (Niketche : A Story of Polygamy; later: Fìrst Wife), was the issue of polygamy, still prevalent, particularly in the South of the country. She formally retired from writing in 2016.

Other sites

Paulina Chiziane
Paulina Chiziane
Paulina Chiziane
Interview
Paulina Chiziane (in Portuguese)
Paulina Chiziane, primeira romancista moçambicana (in Portuguese)
Interview (in Portuguese)