Lionel Abrahams



Lionel Abrahams (11 April 1928 – 31 May 2004) was a South African poet, novelist, editor, critic, essayist, and publisher.

Life
He was born in Johannesburg, where he lived his entire life. He was born with cerebral palsy and had to use a wheelchair from 11 years of age.

Best known for his poetry, he was mentored by Herman Charles Bosman, and he and later edited seven volumes of Bosman's posthumously published works. Abrahams went on to become one of the most influential figures in South African literature in his own right, publishing numerous poems, essays, and two novels. Through Renoster Books, which he started in 1956, he published works by Oswald Mtshali and Mongane Wally Serote heralding the emergence of black poetry during the apartheid era.

In 1986, he married Jane Fox. That year, he was awarded honorary doctorates of literature by the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Natal.

Poetry

 * Journal of a New Man. Ad Donker, 1984.
 * The Writer in Sand. Ad Donker, 1988.
 * A Dead Tree Full of Live Birds. Snail Press, 1988.
 * The Lionel Abrahams Reader (introduction by Patrick Cullinan). 1988.
 * Chaos Theory of the Heart. Jacana Media and Roaring Forties Press, 2005.
 * To Halley's Comet, publishers unknown,

Novels

 * The Celibacy of Felix Greenspan: A novel in 18 stories. Bateleur Press, 1977.
 * The White Life of Felix Greenspan. M&G Books, 2002.