Haddis Alemayehu

Haddis Alemayehu was born on October 15, 1914, in Debre Marqos, Gojjam. Immersed in Ethiopian Orthodox church education, he fought with patriot forces during the Italian invasion, was captured in 1937, and spent years imprisoned on the Italian island of Ponza.

Following liberation, Alemayehu served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Planning, and Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1968, he published his magnum opus, Fikr Eske Meqabr (Love unto the Grave), an epic romance between a poor scholar, Bezabih, and an aristocratic noblewoman, Seblewongel, offering a panoramic critique of feudal class rigidity. The novel remains the undisputed summit of modern Ethiopian literature.