John Eppel


John Eppel is a Zimbabwean short story writer, novelist and poet. In 1990 he was awarded the Ingrid Jonker Prize for his poetry volume, "Spoils of War", detailing his experiences as a soldier in the Rhodesian Bush War.

Early life

John Eppel born in Lydenburg, South Africa. He moved to Colleen Bawn, a small mining town in the south of Southern Rhodesia, at the age of four. He was educated at Milton High School in Bulawayo, and later attended the University of Natal in South Africa, where he completed his English master's degree in "A Study of Keatsian Dialectics".

Career

Eppel has published more than 20 books, one of which, The Giraffe Man, has been translated into French. He has crafted a creative writing course for the University of South Africa and published three O-Level and one A-Level literature study guides. He was awarded the Ingrid Jonker Prize for his first poetry volume, Spoils of War, and the MNet Prize in 1993 for his novel D G G Berry's the Great North Road. Eppel's second novel, Hatchings, was nominated for the MNet Prize in 1993/4.
His works are studied in universities across South Africa. He teaches English at Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo.

List of published books

Making Whoopie Not the Whispering Wild The Boy who loved Camping Poems of Resistance Traffickings O Suburbia White Man Walking Landlocked Textures, 'amaBooksHewn From Rock Together, 'amaBooks/UNO Press/UKZN PressAbsent: The English Teacher, JacanaWhite Man Crawling, 'amaBooksHatchings, Republished by 'amaBooksSongs My Country Taught Me, Weaver PressThe Caruso of Collen Bawn and other short writings, 'amaBooksThe Holy Innocents, 'amaBooksThe Curse of the Ripe Tomato, 'amaBooksSelected poems 1965-1995, ChildlineSonata for Matabeleland, Snailpress/Baobab BooksThe Giraffe Man, QuelliereHatchings, CarrefourD G G Berry's The Great North Road, Carrefour/Hippogriff Spoils of War, CarrefourFour Voices, Books of Zimbabwe

Personal life

Eppel married at the age of 34 and has three children: Ben, Ruth and Joe. His ex-wife, Shari, is a poet and prominent human rights activist.