Achmat Dangor (2 October 1948 – 6 September 2020) was a South African writer, poet, and development professional. His most important works include the novels Kafka's Curse (1997) and Bitter Fruit (2001). He was also the author of three collections of poetry, a novella, and a short story collection. Dangor was born in Johannesburg, Union of South Africa. He was one of the founding members of the Congress of South African Writers, and headed up various non-governmental organisations in South Africa, including the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and was the Southern Africa Representative for the Ford Foundation. In 2015 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the South African Literary Awards (SALA). He lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, with his wife, Audrey, and young son Zachary, and devoted his time to his writing. Awards His awards included: 1998 Herman Charles Bosman Prize for Kafka's Curse Bitter Fruit was shortlisted for the 2004 Booker Prize. Notable works Waiting for Leila (1981) Voices from Within (1982) Bulldozer (1983) Majiet (1986) The Z Town trilogy (1990) Private Voices (1992) Kafka’s Curse (1997) Bitter Fruit (2003) Strange Pilgrimages (2013) Dikeledi: Child of Tears, No More (2017) Family Dangor is the brother of Jessie Duarte. References External links Interview with Achmat Dangor on The Ledge, an independent platform for world literature (includes excerpt and audio) 1948 births 2020 deaths South African male poets South African male novelists South African people of Indian descent South African people of Dutch descent 20th-century South African poets 20th-century South African novelists 21st-century South African poets 21st-century South African novelists 20th-century South African male writers 21st-century South African male writers