The 1959 publication of his autobiographical novel "Down Second Avenue" drew worldwide interest in Mphahlele as a writer, and focused a powerful spotlight on the internal dynamics of South Africa as it steadily drifted toward greater racial oppression and greater world isolation. Now a classic of African literature, "Down Second Avenue" had successful printings in English, French, German, Russian, Dutch and Japanese, reflecting the impact and international popularity of the book. Mphahlele's second novel, "The Wanderers", a story chronicling the experience of exiles in Africa, earned him a nomination for the Nobel Prize in literature in 1969.