David Dominic Mwangi (27 December 1948 – 11 December 2025), known by his pen name, Meja Mwangi, was a Kenyan writer. Apart from writing books, he worked in the film industry, including in screenwriting, assistant directing, and casting.
Life and career
Mwangi was born David Dominic Mwangi in Nanyuki, Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, and was educated at Nanyuki Secondary School, Kenyatta College, and briefly at the University of Leeds. He then worked for the French Broadcasting Corporation doing odd jobs and the British Council in Nairobi as Visual Aids Officer, before turning to writing full-time. He was Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa (1975–76).
After a long tenure on Kenya's and Africa's publishing scene, Mwangi moved to the United States, having gained international recognition and won several awards.
His best-known early work includes the novels Kill Me Quick (1973), Going Down River Road (1976), and The Cockroach Dance (1979), which illustrate the urban landscapes of Kenya, the struggle against poverty, and the AIDS epidemic.
Mwangi died in Malindi, Kenya, on 11 December 2025, at the age of 76.
Prizes and awards
For general readers
- Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature for Kill Me Quick (1974 – English winner); The Last Plague (2001 – English winner); Boy Gift (2007 – English Youth third place); Big Chief (2009 – English Adult Fiction third place).
- Lotus Prize for Literature (1978) presented by the Afro-Asian Writers' Association (aka Association of Asian and African Writers)
For juvenile readers
- Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize), for Kariuki und sein weißer Freund. Eine Erzählung aus Kenia (Little White Man (1990), title changed to The Mzungu Boy (1992))<!---->
- Le Prix Lire au College for Kariuki (1992)
- American Library Association (USA) Notable Children's Books Award for Older Readers, The Mzungu Boy (2006)
<!--*Commonwealth Writers Prize, for The Boy Gift (Africa Section) no source found-->
Shortlist
- Noma Award (Honourable mention), for Bread of Sorrow (1989)
- International Dublin Literary Award (Nomination), for The Last Plague (2002)
Literary works
In English
- Adapted for the film "Cry Freedom".[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082218/?ref_=nv_sr_2?ref_=nv_sr_2]
- <!--Longman Group United Kingdom ISBN 10: 058200392X ISBN 13: 978-0582003927-->
- <!--location=Ohio, U.S.A. diff isbn-->
Translations
- <!--Kariuki und sein weißer Freund. Eine Erzählung aus Kenia. isbn= 978-3423780988; 978-3889772626; 978-3889776563-->
Theatre, screenplays, and other adaptations
- (adaptation of The Big Chiefs – 2007)
- (adaptation of Mama Dudu, the Insect Woman – 2007)