Luís Bernardo Honwana,was born in Maputo in 1942, in a family with long nationalist traditions. Writer and journalist, he became an indispensable figure in Mozambican intellectuality. Early on, he gained notoriety as a cultural activist and engaged with other young people in the spread of the ideal of national liberation.

As a journalist he collaborated in the country's leading newspapers. He was a member of the newspaper News, when in 1964 he saw his career interrupted by PIDE, the political police of Portuguese colonialism. He was arrested in a group that included other public figures such as José Craveirinha, Rui Nogar and Malangatana, with the charge of involvement in the process of liberation struggle. This happened at the very moment when Luís Bernardo Honwana published his book We Killed the Tinhoso Dog. Honwana was sentenced to a three-year sentence but, on the other hand, her book was immediately recognized as an important milestone in Mozambique's literature. Today it is on the list of the 100 best books published in Africa, and it has already been translated into the main European languages.

In addition to a fictionalist Luís Bernardo Honwana investigates and writes about socio-cultural issues, as this The Old House of Wood and Zinc.

After the independence of Mozambique Honwana held prominent positions in the public administration of the country, as cabinet director of President Samora Machel and later Minister of Culture.

Before serving at UNESCO, first as a member of its Executive Board and then as a representative of the organization in some southern African countries, Honwana created as a personal project and was the first president of the Portuguese Language Library Fund.

On his return to the country, Honwana, began to dedicate himself professionally to issues related to environmental preservation and conservation, being at this time the Executive Director of the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity – BIOFUND.