The Most Famous
WRITERS from Angola
This page contains a list of the greatest Angolan Writers. The pantheon dataset contains 7,302 Writers, 3 of which were born in Angola. This makes Angola the birth place of the 104th most number of Writers behind Trinidad and Tobago, and Myanmar (Burma).
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Angolan Writers of all time. This list of famous Angolan Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Mário Pinto de Andrade (1928 - 1990)
With an HPI of 57.70, Mário Pinto de Andrade is the most famous Angolan Writer. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.
Mário Coelho Pinto de Andrade (21 August 1928 – 26 August 1990) was an Angolan poet and politician.
2. Pepetela (b. 1941)
With an HPI of 57.61, Pepetela is the 2nd most famous Angolan Writer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos (born 1941) is an Angolan writer of fiction. He writes under the name Pepetela. A Portuguese Angolan, Pepetela was born in Benguela, Portuguese Angola, and fought as a member of the MPLA in the long guerrilla war for Angola's independence. Much of his writing deals with Angola's political history in the 20th century. Mayombe , for example, is a novel that portrays the lives of a group of MPLA guerrillas who are involved in the anti-colonial struggle in Cabinda, Yaka follows the lives of members of a white settler family in the coastal town of Benguela, and A Geração da Utopia reveals the disillusionment of young Angolans during the post-independence period. Pepetela has also written about Angola's earlier history in A Gloriosa Família and Lueji, and has expanded into satire with his series of Jaime Bunda novels. His most recent works include Predadores, a scathing critique of Angola's ruling classes, O Quase Fim do Mundo, a post-apocalyptic allegory, and O Planalto e a Estepe, a look at Angola's history and connections with other former communist nations. Pepetela won the Camões Prize, the world's highest honour for Lusophone literature, in 1997. "Pepetela" is a Kimbundu word that means "eyelash," which is a translation of his Portuguese surname, "Pestana". The author received this nom de guerre during his time as an MPLA combatant.
3. José Eduardo Agualusa (b. 1960)
With an HPI of 56.18, José Eduardo Agualusa is the 3rd most famous Angolan Writer. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.
José Eduardo Agualusa Alves da Cunha (born December 13, 1960) is an Angolan writer and columnist of Portuguese and Brazilian descent. He studied agronomy and silviculture in Lisbon, Portugal. Currently he resides in the Island of Mozambique, working as a writer and journalist. He also has been working to establish a public library on the island.
4. Gonçalo M. Tavares (b. 1970)
With an HPI of 46.42, Gonçalo M. Tavares is the 4th most famous Angolan Writer. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Gonçalo Manuel de Albuquerque Tavares, known professionally as Gonçalo M. Tavares, was born in August, 1970 in Luanda, Angola and is a Portuguese writer and professor of Theory of Science in Lisbon. He published his first work in 2001 and since then has been awarded several prizes. His books have been published in more than 30 countries and the book Jerusalem has been included in the European edition of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. Nobel Laureate José Saramago stated: "In thirty years' time, if not before, Tavares will win the Nobel Prize, and I'm sure my prediction will come true... Tavares has no right to be writing so well at the age of 35. One feels like punching him." Tavares published a great variety of books since 2001 and has been awarded several national and international literary prizes. In 2005, he won the José Saramago Prize for young writers under 35. In his speech at the award ceremony, Saramago commented: "JERUSALÉM is a great book, and truly deserves a place among the great works of Western literature."
5. Ondjaki (b. 1977)
With an HPI of 41.33, Ondjaki is the 5th most famous Angolan Writer. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
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.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Angolan writers born between 1928 and 1977. Of these 5, 3 (60.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Angolan writers include Pepetela, José Eduardo Agualusa, and Ondjaki. The most famous deceased Angolan writers include Mário Pinto de Andrade, and Gonçalo M. Tavares. As of April 2024, 2 new Angolan writers have been added to Pantheon including Gonçalo M. Tavares, and Ondjaki.
Living Angolan Writers
Go to all Rankings
Pepetela
1941 - Present
HPI: 57.61
José Eduardo Agualusa
1960 - Present
HPI: 56.18
Ondjaki
1977 - Present
HPI: 41.33
