Ellis Ayitey Komey (1927 – 27 July 1972) was a Ghanaian writer and poet.

Ellis Ayitey Komey
Born1927 (1927)
Died27 July 1972(1972-07-27) (aged 44–45)
NationalityGhanaian
Alma materUniversity of London
Occupation(s)Writer and poet

Early years and education

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Komey was born in 1927 in Labadi, a suburb of Accra in the British colony of the Gold Coast.

He had his early education at Methodist Senior Boys' School then the Accra Academy then later proceeded to the University of London.[1]

Career and works

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He spent 16 years of his life in England. For six years, he was editor of the international black magazine Flamingo. He was manager of Ludeco, an organisation that deals with publishing, public relations and tourism.

His short stories and poems appeared in anthologies and journals including Flamingo and West African Review. He compiled the anthology Modern African Stories with Ezekiel Mphahlele (later known as Es'kia Mphahlele).[2][3][4][5][6]

Some of his poems are also found in the anthology Messages: Poems from Ghana, compiled by Kofi Awoonor and Geormbeeyi Adali-Mortty.[7]

Death

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Komey died on 27 July 1972 at Korle Bu Hospital in Accra, Ghana.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jahn, Janheinz; Schild, Ulla; Seiler, A. N. (1972). Who's who in African Literature: Biographies, Works, Commentaries.
  2. ^ Breman, Paul (1973). You better believe it : Black verse in English from Africa, the West Indies and the United States.
  3. ^ Klíma, Vladimír; Růžička, K. F.; Zima, Petr (1975). Black Africa : Literature and Language.
  4. ^ Moore, Gerald; Beier, Ulli (1984). The Penguin book of modern African poetry. Penguin Books. p. 298.
  5. ^ Herdeck, Donald E. (1973). African Authors: a companion to Black African writing. Vol. 1300–1973. Black Orpheus Press. p. 188.
  6. ^ Komey, Ellis; Mphahlele, Ezekiel (1964). Modern African Stories. London: Faber and Faber.
  7. ^ Awoonor, Kofi; Adali-Mortty, G. (1971). Messages: Poems from Ghana. London: Heinemann. ISBN 0435900420.
  8. ^ "ELLIS KOMEY DIES". Daily Graphic (Ghana). 29 July 1972. Mr Ellis Ayitey Komey (above), 45, former editor of the Flamingo Magazine, died at the Korle Bu Hospital on Thursday shortly after admission.