Julius Ocwinyo

Julius Ocwinyo is a Ugandan editor, poet and novelist. His novels include Fate of the Banished, The Unfulfilled Dream and Footprints of the Outsider. His work has appeared in several news papers including The New York Times.

Early life and education

Ocwinyo was born in Teboke village in Apac District. His father worked in the Uganda Prisons Service and his mother was a housewife. Before joining the Prisons Service his father had served in the King’s African Rifles and had been deployed to Misr towards the end of World War II. Ocwinyo studied at Aboke Junior Seminary and Lango College, before joining the Institute of Teacher Education at Kyambogo, where he earned a Diploma in Education. He later studied at Makerere University, where he received a Bachelor of Education. Ocwinyo taught at various educational institutions before becoming an editor for Fountain Publishers, Kampala.

Writing

Some of his works have been recognized nationally. Fate of the Banished won the 1997 Uganda Publishers and Booksellers Association award for best adult fiction. In 2004, Footprints of the Outsider won the Kinyara Award for best adult fiction. Fate of the Banished, was selected as one of the study texts for the A-level Literature syllabus. His poetry has been published in 'Uganda Poetry Anthology 2000'.