MASVINGO-BASED author Handson Chirefu says his second novel, The Jean Skirt Spell, is a fulfilment of a long-cherished dream birthed when he was still in high school.
The novel, published by Royalty Books, is a throwback to the dark period before the advent of anti-retroviral therapy when HIV was viewed as a “death sentence”.
“The observations of failed relationships, collapsed marriages and infidelity inspired me to write the novel,” Chirefu said.
The author pointed out that he strongly felt HIV and Aids were still a relevant subject in contemporary society, even though their death rate had significantly declined.
“The disease is still in our communities and some people do not even bother to get tested and thusthere is need for awareness especially for those in relationships and those thinking of entering new relationships,” he noted.
Chirefu, who was inspired by the great Kenyan author and academic, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, said he wrote his first story, The Blaze of Glory, in 1994, but was turned down by a local publishing house because the themes he explored were not in line with what the publisher promoted.
“However, I was encouraged by the fact that they appreciated the good language I had used,” said the high schoolteacher, adding that his readers could expect “a million novels” from him.
His debut novel, Colours of Our Time was published in 2018 by Drilliat Publishers, but did not make a great impact.
- Masvingo author chronicles the dark period of HIV
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“I also have a collection of poems called Nexus Narratives still to be published and a drama titled The Taste for Love,” he said.
Chirefu said financial bottlenecks had hampered his efforts to get more books published.
