By Chisomo Phiri
63-year-old author Egidio Hermes Mpanga is set to celebrate the existence of his poetry book titled ‘Lilies of the Heart’ which he published last year.
He said the book carries the main message of love in form of lust,infatuation, passion, admiration, betrayal, loss, pain, joy and beauty.
Asked on what motivated him to write the poetry book, the author said: “It was written over time from as early as my college days in the last century till last year as I reacted to various individuals, the society and situations, both real and imaginary, that I encountered, be they personal or political.”
Mpanga said people can access ‘Lilies of the Heart’ from Maneno bookshop in Lilongwe and Claim bookshops in Blantyre, Zomba and Lilongwe.
“One can also order directly from the publisher, E+ V Publications, on 0888630901 and 0999919665,” he said.
Asked to comment on how he sees writing industry in Malawi in terms of its growth, the author said:”The Malawi’s writing industry is growing, albeit at a slow pace because the enabling policies are not in place.
“Literature has been given a back seat. Worse still, reading/book policy as actualised through the funding for children’s books both inside and outside the government fold is almost non-existent.”
He concluded :”Poetry is music hence enjoyable and uplifting. It connects one with different levels of emotions and soothes the heart and the soul while exploring a range of topics about life. I therefore encourage all age groups to sample Lilies of the heart, they will not regret doing so.”
On top of being an author, Hermes Mpanga is also a professional publisher, editor and writer.
He also do translation from English to Chichewa.
