We continue this week on a thread of short story collections, namely from new debut authors. Today I will introduce you to David Chasumba and his award-winning collection, which is published by the Carnelian Heart imprint.. The title story is reminiscent of a short story by a Nigerian writer, Osahon Ize-Iyamu’s The Mad Man of Third Street.

 “In his debut book, he explores both the past and the present of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwean diaspora, with a moving directness that immerses the reader into his world effortlessly.
Chasumba provides a relentlessly accurate depiction of the socio-political issues present in Zimbabwe, exhibiting his wide literary range, from Black nationalist activism during the Rhodesian bush war, to power relations across the racial divide, during and after the land reform, a feminist march protesting women’s rights to be who they choose in modern day Harare, and a Zim dance hall musician struggling to beat a drug addiction to save his music career.”

Title: The Mad Man on First Street and Other Short Stories

Author: David Chasumba

Publisher: Carnelian Heart Publishing

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1914287336

Paperback ISBN: 978-1914287329

David Chasumba is a poet and writer. He holds an MA in Media and Cultural Studies from Sussex University and an MA in Social Work from Canterbury Christ Church University. He is a recipient of the National Arts and Merit Awards (2023) for his debut short story collection which won the award for Outstanding First Creative Published Work. David has published several short stories which have been published in various anthologies. His short story, Crossing the Rubicon, was longlisted in the Fish Publishing Short Story Competition (2013-2014). David lives in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex. You can follow him on social media at @davidchasumba22.

#ZimbabweLitMonth is curated by novelist Sue Nyathi. She is a published Zimbabwean author of four fiction titles: The Polygamist (2012), The Gold Diggers (2018), A Family Affair (2020), and An Angel’s Demise (2022). She also edited a nonfiction anthology titled When Secrets Become Stories, Women Speak Out (2021). You can visit her website here and follow her on Twitter at @SueNyathi.