Ndalu de Almeida (born July 5,1977) is a writer born in Angola who uses the pen name Ondjaki. He has written poetry, children's books, short stories, novels, drama and film scripts.
Career
Ondjaki studied sociology at the University of Lisbon, and wrote his thesis on Angolan writer Luandino Vieira. In 2010, he received his Doctorate in African Studies in Italy. Ondjaki's literary debut came in 2000 with the poetry book Actu Sanguíneu, which was followed up with the childhood memoir Bom dia camaradas ("Good Morning, Comrades") in 2001. To date (2018) his body of work includes five novels, four collections of short stories, six collections of poetry and six children's books. He has also made a documentary film, May Cherries Grow, about his native city. His books have been translated to French, Spanish, Italian, German, Serbian, English, Polish and Swedish. Granma Nineteen and the Soviet's Secrets is his most recent book in English (Spring 2014, from Biblioasis).
In 2008 Ondjaki was awarded the Grinzane for Africa Prize in the category of Best Young Writer. In 2012, he was named by Zukiswa Wanner in The Guardian as one of the "top five African writers" (alongside Léonora Miano, H. J. Golakai, Chika Unigwe and Thando Mgqolozana). He is one of 39 writers aged under 40 from sub-Saharan Africa who in April 2014 were chosen as part of the Hay Festival's prestigious Africa39 project.
In October 2010 he won the Brazilian award Premio Jabuti de Literatura, in the juvenile category, with the book AvóDezanove e o Segredo do Soviético. In 2013 he was awarded the José Saramago Prize for his novel Os Transparentes.
Awards and recognition
2008: Grinzane for young writer Prize - Ethiopia
2010: literatura em lingua portuguesa Prize - by FNLIJ, Brazil, for AvóDezanove e o segredo do soviético (available in English, in Canada) 2010: São Paulo Prize for Literature — shortlisted in the Best Book of the Year category for Avó Dezanove e o Segredo do Soviético 2010: Jabuti Prize - Brazil, for AvóDezanove e o segredo do soviético 2011: Caxinde do conto infantil Prize - Angola, for Ombela, a estória das chuvas 2012: Bissaya Barreto Prize - Portugal, for A bicicleta que tinha bigodes 2013: literatura em lingua portuguesa Prize - by FNLIJ, Brazil, for A bicicleta que tinha bigodes 2013: José Saramago Prize - with Os Transparentes 2014: Selected as part of the Hay Festival's Africa39 project featuring 39 writers from sub-Saharan Africa aged under 40. 2014: literatura em lingua portuguesa Prize - by FNLIJ, Brazil, for Uma escuridão bonita 2014: Jabuti Prize (juvenile category, 3rd place) - Brazil, for Uma escuridão bonita