Together, by Julius Chingono and John Eppel

THE TWO ZIMBABWEAN WRITERS featured in this collection of stories and poems could not be more different. John Eppel is an English literature teacher in Bulawayo; Julius Chingono, from Norton, near Harare, was a rock-blaster in mines for many years. Eppel is a deliberate stylist, while Chingono is a deliberate anti-stylist. The western literary tradition is pervasive in Eppel's writing; Chingono is his own tradition. In another sense, however, they could not be more similar. Both share an aversion for those in power who exploit it to the detriment of all but their cronies and themselves; both feel a deep compassion for the poor and the marginalized of Zimbabwe. And they are both very funny.