Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo

Who was Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo?

Herbert Isaac Ernest Dhlomo is one of the major founding figures of South African literature and perhaps the first prolific African creative writer in English. His elder brother was the famous artist R. R. R. Dhlomo, and the great Zulu composer, R. T. Caluza, is a near relative. His father, Ezra, was a friend of Bambatha, who led the Bambatha rebellion. Dhlomo himself held many jobs during his short life, but always regarded his literary production as his major achievement:

"My creative life is the greatest thing I can give to my people, to Africa. I am determined to die writing and writing and writing. And no one … can stop, fight or destroy that. It is the soul, the heart and, the spirit. It will endure and speak truth even if I perish…I have chosen the path to serve my people by means of literature, and nothing will deflect me from this course."