Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born

Date: 28 Aug 1923
Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born

Journalist, short-story writer and actor William (Bloke) Modisane was born in Sophiatown, Johannesburg. Modisane left South Africa in 1959 and while in exile he published his only and much acclaimed book Blame Me on History, which was in many ways similar to Can Themba's short story Requiem for Sophiatown (destroyed in the late 1950s). Blame Me on History was an examination of what apartheid did to the character and self-esteem of the educated Black man. The book was banned in South Africa in 1966. Modisane died in 1986 in Dortmund, West Germany and is rated as one of the finest Black writers and intellectuals of the 20th century. Click here to read more about black literature in South Africa.

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How we know this

01Britannica, "Bloke Modisane", from Britannica,[Online], available at www.britannica.com [Accessed : 22 August 2013]
02Sonderling, N.E. (ed.) New Dictionary of South African Biography, v.2, Pretoria: Vista.

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011458

South African History Online (2011) 'Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011458 (Accessed: 30 August 2026).

South African History Online, Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011458, (accessed 30 August 2026).

"Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011458. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Gifted writer and actor William Modisane is born." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0011458.