Jack Mapanje: key obituary facts
Is Jack Mapanje dead? Yes. Jack Mapanje died on November 4, 2026, at age 82.
Cause of death: Jack Mapanje's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Jack Mapanje known for?
He was a Malawian poet.
More about Jack Mapanje
Born: 25 March 1944.
Place of birth: Mangochi District.
Gender: male.
Occupation: writer, poet, linguist, university teacher.
Nationality: Malawi.
Education: University of London.
Employer: Newcastle University, University of Malawi.
Awards: PEN Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award.
Occupations: Writer, poet, professor.
Known for: 1987–91 imprisonment.
Jack Mapanje, the Malawian poet and writer known for his 1987–91 imprisonment, died November 4, 2026, aged 82.
Born John Alfred Clement Mapanje in Kadango Village, in Mangochi District, he was the child of Nyanja and Yao parents. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of London and later studied linguistics at University College London in the early 1980s.
After lecturing in Malawi, he became head of English at Chancellor College, the main campus of the University of Malawi, and later headed the university’s Department of Language and Linguistics. Mapanje was imprisoned in 1987 over his poetry collection Of Chameleons and Gods, whose writing indirectly criticized the administration of President Hastings Banda. Released in 1991, he emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he worked as a teacher. His other books included The Beasts of Nalunga, And Crocodiles Are Hungry at Night and Greetings from Grandpa. He was a member of the Malawi Writers Group and received the PEN Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. His career connected poetry and university teaching, while his imprisonment and eventual release made his writing a prominent point of attention beyond Malawi.