Sebhat Gebre-Egziabher
Sebhat in 2009
Native name	ስብሐት ለአብ ገብረ እግዚአብሔር
Born	(1936-05-05)5 May 1936 Adwa, Tigray Province, Ethiopian Empire
Died	20 February 2012(2012-02-20) (aged 75–76) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Occupation	Writer
Language	Tigrigna, Amharic, English, French
Citizenship	Ethiopian
Notable works	ትኩሳት (Fever) ሌቱም አይነጋልኝ (Endless Night) ሰባተኛው መላክ (The Seventh Angel)
Relatives	Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher

Sebhat-Leab Gebre-Egziabher (Tigrinya: ስብሐት ለአብ ገብረ እግዚአብሔር; 5 May 1936 – 20 February 2012) was an Ethiopian writer from Tigray Region.^[1] He is famous for pioneering the naturalist writing style in Amharic. His writing style was not constrained by the traditional Ethiopian writing style nor orthodox syntax. Despite using simple words and seemingly light prose, Sebhat's concepts are highly sophisticated and philosophical.

Biography

Sebhat was born on 6 May 1936 near the historical town of Adwa, Tigray in a village called Erba Gered. He is the brother of the scientist Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher.

Sebhat originally intended to be a librarian. He visited Washington in 1960 and stayed there a year. At that time he was intending to write in English. He decided however that Amharic is better suited for his subject matter. He later visited France and received an award from UNESCO.

Sebhat published works of fiction and non fiction in French and Amharic. Some of his works have been translated into English. He also worked as a journalist and columnist for the Ethiopian Herald, Addis Zemen, Menen, and other magazines and newspapers.

Works

References