Mr. Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali

Mr. Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali

Author	Aniceti Kitereza
Original title	Bwana Myombekere na Bibi Bugonoka, Ntulanalwo na Bulihwali
Translator	Gabriel Ruhumbika
Country	Tanzania
Language	Kerewe Swahili
Genre	chronicle, novel
Published	1981 (completed in Kerewe in 1945)
Pages	770

Mr. Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali (original title: Bwana Myombekere na Bibi Bugonoka, Ntulanalwo na Bulihwali) is a novel by the Tanzanian author Aniceti Kitereza. The novel is a love story depicting the history of the Kerewe through three generations.^[1] It was first published in 1981 in Swahili, but was originally completed already in 1945 in Kiterezas mother tongue Kerewe. As no publishing house wanted to publish a novel in the endangered language, Kitereza himself translated the novel into Swahili shortly before his own death, and got it published. Since, it has been translated into English, German and Swedish. The novel is the only one to have been written in Kerewe, and the most comprehensive work published in an African language.^[2]

The German translation was published in two parts with posthumous titles and notes explaining the cultural and linguistical background a reader may need. The Swedish translation is based on the German, but only the first part is published. The English translation from 2002 by Gabriel Ruhumbika is translated directly from Kerewe to English; thus being the only translation not having passed via Swahili.

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