Omoseye Bolaji

Omoseye Bolaji is an award-winning black African writer who over the years has contributed phenomenally to the growth of Black Literature at grassroots level in South Africa, especially in the Free State. Bolaji is a novelist, short story writer, playwright, poet, literary critic, biographer, editor and journalist.

Omoseye Bolaji's published fiction is renowned for its unexpected, often shattering endings. His published works of fiction are The Termagant (1988), They Never Say When (1994), Impossible Love (2000), Tebogo Investigates (2000), The Ghostly Adversary (2001), The Guillotine (2001) Tebogo's spot of bother (2001), Tebogo Fails (2003), People of the Townships (2003), Ask Tebogo (2004), Tebogo and the Haka (2008), Tebogo and the epithalamion (2009), Tebogo and the pantophagist (2010), and Tebogo and the Bacchae (2012). He has also published a play, The Subtle Transgressor (2006.) His poems are collected under Snippets (1998) and Reverie (2006). His other general works include Eagles at USA 94 (1994), The story of Collins Mokhotho (2000), Fillets of Plaice (2000),Thoughts on Free State Writing (2002), Molebogeng Alitta Mokhuoa (2004), My Opinion (2005), Miscellaneous Writings (2011), and It Couldn't Matter Less (2013). In 2007 Bolaji published Poems from Mauritius (ISBN 978 0 9584556 9 5) and My Life and Literature.

Analysts of Bolaji's books (in some of the published studies referred to below) point out that he has been heavily influenced by writers such as Sidney Sheldon, Dick Francis and Agatha Christie, who highlight the unexpected in their work. For examples in Impossible Love, an intriguing gentleman suddenly finds himself inadvertently in love with his own daughter; in People of the Townships, a young man readers have come to empathise with is ultimately exposed as a cold-blooded murderer; and in Tebogo Investigates, a charming, amiable young lady turns out to be a ruthless killer.

Bolaji has been editor of South African publications including Free State News, Kopanang magazine, E and E magazine, and CHOICE magazine.

Bolaji's awards and honours include: Sports Writer of the Year (2000), courtesy of the Eclectic Writers Club of Bloemfontein; recipient of the Community Publishing Project (CPP) grant (2003) from Cape Town's Centre for the Book; Free State Author of the Year (2003) for his novel, People of the Townships; Certificate for penning enthralling Fiction (2006), courtesy of Phoenix Literary Club, Ladybrand; and the "Lifetime Achievement Award" (2007) from the Free State Department of Sport, Art and Culture. In September 2007, the University of the Free State conferred the Chancellor's Medal on Omoseye Bolaji, in appreciation of his contributions to grassroots literacy and literature.Bolaji has also been conferred with an African Chieftaincy by the Olubadan of Ibadanland in Nigeria, again for his contributions to African literature. In 2009 the Mangaung Local Municipality honoured him "In Recognition of Valuable Contributions to Literature in the Free State". Bolaji was presented with another Lifetime Achievement award at the formal Mbali Literary Awards (2012) in Clocolan.

Studies already published on Omoseye Bolaji's literary work are: Omoseye Bolaji: His writings/his role as a catalyst for FS Writing. By Pule Lebuso (2001); Omoseye Bolaji: Perspectives on his literary work. By Flaxman Qoopane (2003); Omoseye Bolaji: Channelling one's thoughts onto paper. By Charmaine Kolwane (2005); Tebogo on the prowl: a study of Omoseye Bolaji's series of books based on private sleuth, Tebogo Mokoena. By Petro Schonfeld (2006). The Triumph (2007) ISBN 978 - 0 - 620 - 38207 - 6 written by Urbain Tila, details the events at the gala night where Omoseye Bolaji received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The latest studies on his literary work are Omoseye Bolaji: Further perspectives (2009) by Julia Mooi, and OMOSEYE BOLAJI (2010) by Hector Kunene.