Shaaban Robert wrote three autobiographical texts at different times in his life. The first, which is lost, covered his childhood and had been written when he was 27; the second, which corresponds to the first part of this work, was written at the age of 37, covering the period 1936-1946. The last was completed in 1960, but covers the period 1946-1959. It must be emphasised that the poet’s life cannot be compartmentalised into separate, successive stages. Over and above a chronological division of events, the two sections of the book can be differentiated by the different periods when they were written and thus the different viewpoints on what happened throughout his life. Philippe Lejeune´s definition of an autobiography as ´a retrospective prose narrative made by a real person about their own existence, emphasising their indi¬vidual life and in particular the development of their personality´ (Lejeune 1996: 14), is a familiar one. This definition fits Shaaban Robert´s text perfectly and yet, in the Swahili context, such an endeavour could have encountered many obstacles.

This bibliography is an update of Thomas Geider’s comprehensive bibliography of 100 pages which he published in Swahili Forum 10 (2003). Thomas Geider had almost finished it when he fell ill in April 2010. He left the manuscript when he passed away on 15 October 2010. It has been completed and edited by the editors of Swahili Forum, and comprises mainly works published between 2003 and 2009. Also included are some works published in 2001 and 2002 which came to Thomas Geider’s attention after he had completed his 2003 bibliography.

This article will present a short story which appeared in the newspaper Mzalendo on the 15th January 1978, but it took twenty-six years before it was published in a book. Presumably it was written in the same period as both the play Kaputula la Marx and probably also as some of Kezilahabi’s poems from the second collection Karibu ndani (1988). It is a period of his most critical works. In Mayai – Waziri wa Maradhi the author blames, in a highly symbolic manner, the leading classes of his country who became rich at the expense of common citizens during ten years of Independence, symbolized by ten emaciated ghostly children.

At a first glance it may seem strange that a man who probably was the European scholar of Swahili with the longest association with the Swahili Coast should have had so little impact on the field of Swahili studies, at least regarding his reception in the literature of the discipline. Obviously there must be something marginal to his position in the academic world of both his and our days, which appears to draw mainly from two factors. On the one hand, John Allen spent most of his professional life `on location`in the Swahili sphere and some other parts of the Muslim world, but hardly ever was present in Europe and its academic institutions or publications so that he was simply physically outside the central circles of scholarly discourse. On the other hand, his main interest was a subject rather marginal within European Swahili studies, dealing with the traditional literature, moreover in a philological approach. Alien`s love of literature was also an important impetus for his long involvement in language development - especially as he regarded it in the first place in terms of art and only secondly in terms of `information´ about cultural or historical matters. As a promoter of Swahili literature, especially in connection with the East Aftican Swahili Committee, he probably got more widely known than for his contributions to research. However, this practical dimension of Allen`s work can not be separated from his studies in literature, and the mutuality of the two fields of activity is to be shown in this article which can hardly more than touch upon central aspects of his work and its significance for the discipline.

William E. Mkufya aliyezaliwa mwaka 1953 wilayani Lushoto, Tanga, nchini Tanzania ni mmojawapo wa waandishi wakongwa wa riwaya ya Kiswahili. Hadi hii leo amechapisha riwaya nne. Aidha, ameandika vitabu kumi na viwili vya watoto na kutafsiri baadhi ya vitabu, kama vile riwaya ya Kiu ya Mohamd Suleiman Mohamed. Riwaya za Ziraili na Zirani na Ua la Faraja zimeshinda Tuzo la Fasihi ya Kitaifa Tanzania katika kiwango cha Muswada Bora wa Riwaya mnamo 1999 na 2001. Katika mazungumzo haya yaliyofanyika tarehe 29 Januari, mwaka 2004, huko TYCS, Upanga, Dar es Salaam tulitia mkazo zaidi kwenye riwaya yake ya kiepiki Ziraili na Zirani (1999).

Gabriel Ruhumbika aliyezaliwa mwaka 1938 kisiwani Ukerewe ni miongoni mwa wanafasihi waliokubuhu katika fani ya riwaya za Kiswahili. Sasa ametuletea riwaya hii ya aina yake Janga sugu la wazawa (2002). Kwa jumla, riwaya hii linaakisi hali halisi ya mfumo wa maisha ya Wakerewe kwa kuwalinganisha na jamii inayokizunguka kisiwa cha Ukerewe, mintarafu imani za jadi na jinsi Ukristo ulivyoathiri misingi hiyo. Hali kadhalika, riwaya hii linasisitiza umuhimu wa kuzingatia kuthamini tamaduni, mila na desturi na maadili mema katika jamii.

Kyallo Wadi Wamitila aliyezaliwa mwaka 1966 mjini Machakos nchini Kenya ni mwandishi anayeandika katika tanzu za ushairi, tamthilia, hadithi fupi na riwaya. Aidha, ameandika vitabu kadhaa vya watoto. Katika mahojano haya mafupi yaliyofanyika tarehe 03.11.2004 kwa njia za baruapepe tulizungumzia riwaya yake ya pili Bina-Adamu! (2002). Riwaya hii ni juzuu ya kwanza ya trilojia ambayo imeendelezwa na Musaleo! Juzuu ya tatu itaitwa Pumzi za Kovu.

Adam Shafi aliyezaliwa mwaka 1940 kisiwani Unguja ni mmojawapo wa waandishi mashuhuri wa riwaya ya Kiswahili. Hivi sasa mwandishi yumo mbioni kukamilisha muswada wa riwaya yake ya sita iitwayo Mtoto wa Mama. Mbali na uandishi, Adam Shafi aliwahi kufanya kazi mbalimbali za uandishi wa habari na kazi za ushirika wa kimataifa. Ni furaha yetu kubwa kuwa hatimaye tunaweza kutoa mazungumzo hayo baada ya kuyapitia na kuyahariri kidogo tu, kwa vile tunaamini utamu wa lugha inavyozungumzwa katika hali halisi ya maisha una nguvu ya kiujumi inayoweza kumvutia msomaji zaidi.

The novel Ziraili na Zirani, by W. Mkufya, is characterised by the constant recurrence of themes featuring in theodicy, the philosophical ‘vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil’ (Oxford dictionaries online). The themes which emerge from the characters’ conversations throughout the novel provide a constant confrontation of arguments to support or refute the existence of God. This paper aims to analyse the novel from a philosophical perspective, in order to clarify and emphasise the connection between the ideas and words employed by the characters, and the theories of Western philosophers such as St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas and Leibnitz. The focus on these particular philosophical aspects contributes to a deeper understanding of the novel as a whole.

Makala haya yanachanganua ishara na uashiriaji kama mbinu ya kimtindo ya kuwasilisha maana na kukuza uhusika na maudhui katika riwaya ya Nyuso za Mwanamke (2010) ya Said Ahmed Mohamed. Nimechanganua aina tatu za ishara ambazo ni ishara bia, ishara za kaida na ishara za kifasihi kama zinavyoainishwa na Frye na wenzake (1985). Lengo kuu ni kuchanganua na kubainisha jinsi ishara zinavyowasilisha maana na itikadi za jamii katika matini husika. Ishara hizi pia husaidia kukuza maudhui, ploti na kuongeza ujumi katika matini za kifasihi. / This article analyses symbols and symbolism as stylistic devices of communicating meaning and as a technique of characterisation and theme development in Nyuso za Mwanamke (The Faces of a Woman, 2010) written by Said Ahmed Mohamed. I analysed three types of symbols which are natural symbols, conventional symbols and literary symbols following Frye et al. (1985). This study aims at showing how symbols are used in literary works to communicate meaning and the ideology of the society depicted in the text. Symbols also help to build the theme, the plot and adding aesthetic value in literary texts.