Copenhagen - A Zimbabwean author on Tuesday became the first writer to be offered a safe haven for two years in the Danish city of Arhus.

Tendai Frank Tagarira, 26, has published six books outside of his native country, including Land Grab, Part One and Trying to Make Sense of It. Memoirs of a New Generation Zimbabwean, and Beyond Money, Parable of the Pumpkin Seeds.

Some of his books have been critical of Zimbabwe's autocratic President Robert Mugabe and highlighted the problems in the once- prosperous country.

Tagarira said he planned to write a novel along the lines of George Orwell's Animal Farm, a critical view of the authoritarian Stalinist system in the former Soviet Union.

Arhus, Denmark's second largest city, is part of an international network of cities that offer persecuted writers refuge.

Tagrira had been living in Namibia. The culture ministry and Danish publishing house Gyldendal are assisting with the funding for Tagarira's stay in Arhus

By Staff reporter and agencies