Tendai Huchu

Tendai Huchu is a Zimbabwean author best known for his novels The Hairdresser of Harare (2010) and The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician (2014). He also writes as T. L. Huchu.

Tendai Huchu was born in Bindura, Zimbabwe. He studied Mining Engineering at the University of Harare and dropped out in the middle of the first semester. Before becoming a full-time writer, Huchu had various jobs, including working in a casino.

His debut novel, The Hairdresser of Harare (2010), received critical acclaim and has been translated into German, French, Italian, and Spanish.

The Hairdresser of Harare is a book about homosexuality, which since 2006 has been a punishable offense in Zimbabwe under the laws against "sexual abnormalities." The book is a knowledgeable, committed plea for tolerance and equality in a land that suffers under the rule of Robert Mugabe.

Tendai Huchu’s second novel, An Untimely Love, begins with the intriguing question: what happens when two suicide bombers meet and fall in love with each other on the day planned for their attacks? Presented through the eyes of the terrorist Khaled Patel, Tendai Huchu crafts a narrative that explores the complexities of love amidst an exceptionally inconvenient period.

The Maestro, the Magistrate & the Mathematician follows three Zimbabwean men as they struggle to find places for themselves in Edinburgh. Huchu was shortlisted for the 2014 Caine Prize.

His short fiction in multiple genres and nonfiction have appeared in Enkare Review, The Manchester Review, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Gutter, Interzone, AfroSF, Wasafiri, Warscapes, The Africa Report, and elsewhere.

Tendai Huchu currently resides in Edinburgh.

Photo credit: IG @tendaihuchu