Archive for the ‘Fiction’ Category
by Thando on May 21st, 2013
LitNet’s Elzette Steenkamp interviewed Cat Hellisen, author of When the Sea is Rising Red, about the “resurgence of interest” in South African science fiction and speculative fiction, which Hellisen says is “not so much a resurgence of interest, as it’s simply easier now as a South African to query and submit novels overseas”.
Hellisen also discussed the traditional dominance of male characters in the genre and offered advice to entrants to LitNet’s science fiction writing contest for high school learner: “Don’t send in your first or even second draft. Revise, revise, revise. And write free and unfettered by convention, but edit with publication in mind”.
It may come as a surprise to some, but South Africa has a rich history of science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction, most notably the “hard” science fiction adventures of Jan Rabie, and the speculative fiction of JM Coetzee, Karel Schoeman and Eben Venter. Why the sudden resurgence of interest in South African SF&F and speculative fiction?
People also forget Dave Freer, who’s been writing for Baen for many years, though he’s since moved to New Zealand. He often slips South African characters into his novels and draws on our military past and mindset. I think there is not so much a resurgence of interest, as it’s simply easier now as a South African to query and submit novels overseas. Before publishing accepted that the internet was not going away, it would cost a fortune to post work overseas, and now there’s a wealth of up-to-date information freely available online, so South Africans can hone their craft without having to go to university.
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by Thando on May 10th, 2013
New from Pan Macmillan, Flaming June by Amanda Coetzee:
“As harrowing as it is compelling, Coetzee has created a world I’d never normally have ventured into, once started however, I consumed all 235 unpredictable pages in one fell swoop.” — Rahla Xenopoulos, author of A Memoir of Love and Madness and Bubbles.
Harry O’Connor, better known as Badger, is back working fulltime with the London Metropolitan Police Force. When a young woman is found drowned with a footprint bruise on her back, Badger is assigned to head up the team to catch the killer(s).
The Woodmore twins run the mysterious Connect Healing and Wellness Retreat, a place that styles itself as a haven for the rehabilitation of troubled young women. As Badger uncovers that the murdered young woman was a resident at Connect Healing and Wellness Retreat, the Woodmore twins come under fire as their past is unearthed and as more bodies start to pile up. Badger is forced to send Sofia Puccini, a feisty young policewoman, undercover into Connect to investigate further, with the potential for disaster looming large as the case balances on a knife edge.
When Emily Meadows is kidnapped, Badger has to draw on all his resources, from his Irish traveller connections to Emily’s father, to try to save her before the killer strikes her first.
About the author
When she isn’t writing crime thrillers, Amanda Coetzee works as a deputy headmistress. She grew up in Bedford, England, and now lives in Rustenburg with her husband and son. Redemption Song is Amanda’s second novel after her acclaimed debut crime thriller Bad Blood.
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by Thando on May 3rd, 2013
From the author of the highly acclaimed I Speak to the Silent, Mtutuzeli Nyoka, comes A Hill of Fools:
Ruled by the dictatorial King Kutu – a man happy to grow his wealth, cultivate his lands and indulge his taste for women – the fictional African country of Doma has been plunged into lawlessness and violence and is plagued by rampant corruption.
When Queen Anuba is brutally murdered, the king calls on Anday, a high-ranking member of the country’s police force who has long-standing ties with the royal family, to investigate the killing. Anday must set aside the betrayals and disappointments that have plagued his own life to solve the crime and, in the process, try to bring his beloved country back from the brink of disaster. A policeman turned leader, he finds himself instrumental in leading the people of Doma to rise up against their oppressor and flee to the neighbouring country of Gijuya where they hope for a better life.
A Hill of Fools cleverly brings together a poetic and traditional storytelling style with the daunting challenges that contemporary Africa faces to create a compelling and memorable read that resonates with the complexity and beauty of Africa.
About the author
Mtutuzeli Nyoka served as the president of Cricket South Africa (CSA) from 2008 to 2011. He currently lives in Johannesburg where he practises as an ear, nose and throat surgeon. His first novel, I Speak to the Silent, was published in 2004 to widespread critical acclaim.
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by Thando on Apr 25th, 2013
The 2013 Franschhoek Literary Festival takes place from 17 to 19 May. Pan Macmillan authors to look forward to at the festival include Duncan Brown, Jo-Anne Richards, Moeletsi Mbeki, Patricia Glyn, Ron Irwin, Tony Leon, Mtutuzeli Nyoka, Nik Rabinowitz, Leonie Joubert, Eusebius McKaiser, Cat Hellisen and international author Anthony Horowitz.
Friday 17 May
All About Writing workshop with Jo-Anne Richards & Fred de Vries
10 AM – 12:30 PM (Library) (double session till 12.30, R120)
A good story-teller can make us care about real-world issues, or about imagined people. Novelist Jo-Anne Richards and non-fiction writer Fred de Vries discuss how to get a story going, maintain the momentum and come to a dramatic climax and a satisfying resolution.
Rising eighteen
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (New High School Hall)
Samantha Page, editor of From Me to Me, is joined by comedian and author Nik Rabinowitz (South Africa: a long walk to a free ride), writer and writing mentor Osiame Molefe, author Fiona Snyckers (the Trinity series) and high school teacher Athambile Masola (a contributor to My First Time) to talk about strategies for surviving the final years at school.
The Power of Horowitz
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (School Hall)
Michele Magwood introduces multi-talented Anthony Horowitz, best known for his Alex Rider series and The Power of Five supernatural thrillers, who will talk about his passion for creating spellbinding stories for devoted young fans and enticing new readers.
Dystopia in science fiction
Five top s.f. authors dissect the futures they predict: with Sarah Lotz (The Mall), Lauren Beukes (The Shining Girls), Cat Hellisen (When the Sea is Rising Red), Karen Jayes (For the Mercy of Water) and Rachel Zadok (Sister-Sister).
Eastern Cape blues
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Council Chamber)
Anchien Troskie (Dis ek, Anna and Die Staat Teen Anna Bruwer), Ken Barris (Life Underwater) and Marguerite Poland (Taken Captive by Birds) in conversation with Jo-Anne Richards (The Imagined Child).
Patricia Glyn …
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Screening Room)
… presents her riveting TEDx talk about what she learnt on her journey into the Kalahari with the late Khomani San leader, Dawid Kruiper, and his family.
flat water tuesday
4 PM – 5 PM (art in the yard gallery)
John Maytham talks to UCT academic and literary agent Ron Irwin about his new novel.
Fifty shades of funny
4 PM – 5 PM (New High School Hall)
The combination of Sunday Times columnist Ndumiso Ngcobo and stand-up comedians Marianne Thamm and Nik Rabinowitz will have this audience laughing all the way home.
Feeding Africa
4 PM – 5 PM (Council Chamber)
Leonie Joubert discusses her important and timely book The Hungry Season: Feeding Southern Africa’s Cities with sustainable development specialist Michelle Matthews.
Sunday Times dinner at Reuben’s
7:30 PM (Reuben’s)
Join Sunday Times for a literary evening at Reuben’s Restaurant & Bar: Antony Beevor, Anthony Horowitz and A D Miller in discussion with Tymon Smith. Tickets: R550 each for four courses with a welcome drink of Porcupine Ridge wine. To book, email goodtimes@sundaytimes.co.za
Saturday 18 May
How to fix South Africa
1 PM – 2 PM (School Hall)
This Sunday Times book is a collection of articles written by leading South Africans who suggest solutions. Dennis Davis talks possibilities with Moeletsi Mbeki, Hlumelo Biko and the former editor who commissioned them, Ray Hartley.
Bestsellers
1 PM – 2 PM (Church Hall)
World bestsellers Kate Mosse (the Languedoc Trilogy, of which Labyrinth was the first) and Anthony Horowitz, polymath author of over 35 books as well as many TV and movie scripts, plays and journalism, talk to Jenny Crwys-Williams.
New voices
1 PM – 2 PM (Screening Room)
Sue Grant-Marshall of Radio Today talks to crime novelist Amanda Coetzee and medical specialist Mtutuzeli Nyoka (A Hill of Fools).
Ambassadors
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (School Hall)
Our country’s representatives come from both sides of the political divide. Broadcaster Mike Wills talks diplomacy with Melanie Verwoerd, former ambassador to Ireland (The Verwoerd who Toyi-Toyied) and Tony Leon who took on Argentina (The Accidental Ambassador).
What do publishers want?
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Church Hall)
Random House Struik publisher Steve Connolly quizzes Melinda Ferguson (M F Books, a Jacana imprint with a focus on black women’s stories), Debra Primo (UKZN Press) and American Ron Irwin, a UCT academic who teaches creative writing and doubles as a literary agent.
Don’t touch me on my dog
4 PM – 5 PM (School Hall)
How do we grow beyond the racism that still blights our country? Francis Wilson probes for answers from political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi, Eusebius McKaiser and Zapiro, the cartoonist who can make us cringe with a few pen strokes.
A sense of place
4 PM – 5 PM (Church Hall)
Christopher Hope engages with three authors whose recent novels have a strong sense of place: Ken Barris on growing up in PE, Alistair Morgan who sets The Land Within on a former family farm in the Karoo, and Ron Irwin who writes about an obsession with rowing in an American boys’ school.
Haunted by waters
4 PM – 5 PM (Hospice Hall)
A treat for trout fishermen: John Maytham talks to Duncan Brown (Are Trout South African?) with doyen Tom Sutcliffe in attendance.
Author to author
4 PM – 5 PM (Screening Room)
Jo-Anne Richards in conversation with Rachel Zadok.
Patricia Glyn …
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM (Screening Room)
… presents her riveting TEDx talk about what she learnt on her journey into the Kalahari with the late Khomani San leader, Dawid Kruiper, and his family.
Sunday 19 May
What’s going on in the ANC?
10 AM – 11 AM (School Hall)
Wouldn’t we all like to know? Moeletsi Mbeki and journalist Carol Paton take us behind the scenes, chaired by UCT’s Richard Calland.
A Song of Africa
10 AM – 11 AM (Council Chamber)
Izak Dinesen wrote, “If I have a song of Africa, does Africa have a song of me?” Marguerite Poland (Taken Captive by Birds) and Patricia Glyn (What Dawid Knew) tussle with the question.
Liberal: fine ideal or dirty word?
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM (School Hall)
Expect a fiery debate as Tony Leon and Eusebius McKaiser square up to each other again with Dennis Davis in the chair.
Anthony Horowitz
1 PM – 2 PM (Church Hall)
… in conversation with John Maytham.
Vrede
2:30 PN – 3:30 PM (Hospice Hall)
Jo-Anne Richards and Fred de Vries bought a weekend retreat which transformed gradually from utopia to dystopia. It became a strong thread through both their recent works – one fiction, the other non-fiction. Here they tease out their different treatments of a dorp which encapsulates many of South Africa’s issues.
Patricia Glyn …
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM (Screening Room)
… presents her riveting TEDx talk about what she learnt on her journey into the Kalahari with the late Khomani San leader, Dawid Kruiper, and his family.
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- A Bantu in My Bathroom: Debating Race, Sexuality and Other Uncomfortable South African Topics by Eusebius McKaiser
EAN: 9781920434373
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by Thando on Apr 17th, 2013
Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer has said that she finds the recent deaths of South African peacekeeping troops in the Central African Republic, “very, very troubling”. She is quoted in City Press as saying that, “we have blundered rather badly”.
In the article, Gordimer warns the South African government that getting involved in other countries “brings a kind of obligation. You may indeed (be) helping to support the wrong side – in some cases the government is the wrong side and the other cases, it’s the rebels.” She commented that troops should not be sent on offensive operations when it isn’t clear what the situation is. This is in light of the news that South African troops will soon be sent to the eastern DRC as part of a UN force mandated to conduct offensive operations.
Nobel literature prizewinner Nadine Gordimer has urged South Africa’s government to be more cautious about deploying peacekeepers abroad after 13 troops died in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Gordimer told AFP the deaths of soldiers in the remote Saharan nation were “very, very troubling,” and should raise questions about the imminent deployment of more troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“It seems in the Central African Republic we have blundered rather badly,” the 1991 laureate said.
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by Thando on Apr 9th, 2013
The hint of a wettish Cape autumn greeted two Johannesburg-based authors who teamed up last week, traveling to Cape Town in order to toast the launch of their novels in the Mother City. The duo of Steven Boykey Sidley, launching his second novel, Stepping Out, and Jo-Anne Richards, who launched her fifth novel, The Imagined Child, first appeared at the Book Lounge, where they were quizzed by Mervin Sloman, and the following evening at Kalk Bay Books.
Each author read an excerpt from their book before joining in a conversation that kept all in high spirits. They quizzed each other, traversing the pull toward narrative, the prompts that started their respective journeys, the writers that had influenced them and the things we blame on our country.
Richards started the conversation, observing that South Africa is just about the only country in the world where non-fiction sells more than fiction. “Why,” she asked Sidley, “do you bother with fiction?”
Sidley, who was raised on modern American classics (Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, John Updike and Saul Bellows), made this astute observation: “Non-fiction is the literature that has taught me about the stuff of the world, the facts of our life. Fiction was the literature that taught me how to lead my life. Good fiction gives you an open door into the characters who live between the better angels of their nature and the worst gargoyles of their baser instincts, suffering the non-nonchalance of happenstance. Every time I’ve read one of these books, there’s a film of stunned incomprehension that is lifted from my eyes and for a while the world is a clearer place.”
The question, sent back via Sidley, evoked an equally fascinating response from Richards. Fact is very important to Richards, who started her life as a journalist. “For me, fiction is the logical extension of fact, but only better. I can explore stuff with fiction that goes deeper. It can do more than non-fiction. You’re very constrained with non-fiction by the number of sources and by what can be validated, and admitted to. What people admit to late at night after six glasses of wine, that is the stuff you can explore in fiction. Hemingway said that fiction is truer than if it really happened!”
All present were roundly rewarded by a sparkling dialogue by two splendid writers who were savvy, candid and funny. Those who bought their books, left the shop with their autographed copies and the alluring promise of two most excellent reads ahead.
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Liesl Jobson (@LieslJobson) tweeted from the launch using #livebooks:
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by Thando on Apr 2nd, 2013
Picador Africa and The Book Lounge invite you to join Mervyn Sloman in conversation with Jo-Anne Richards and Steven Boykey Sidley around each of their new novels The Imagined Child and Stepping Out.
The event takes place tonight and starts at 6 PM at The Book Lounge in Cape Town.
See you there!
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by Thando on Mar 25th, 2013
Jo-Anne Richards’ fifth novel, The Imagined Child, was launched on Friday at the 16th annual Time of the Writer International Writers Festival, following a moment of silence for world-renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe who had passed away earlier in the day.
Andrea Nattrass, publisher for Pan Macmillan SA, thanked everyone for attending and quoted Anton Harber who said of Richards’ latest book: “She jumbles together the best and the worst of humanity, so that in the end one is not certain which is which. It is all firmly located in a South Africa that is both unnervingly familiar and yet full of surprises. This is her fifth novel, and maybe her best yet.” Nattrass explained that as a publisher, “hundreds of manuscripts” cross her desk. But she said that after half an hour of reading The Imagined Child, she realised it was “a gem”.
Taking the microphone from Nattrass, Richards explained that her book is about “our most basic, most formative relationships, the ones we have with our parents”. She said it focuses on the “unattractive urges we do not like to admit to”.
She said the book makes the point that the extent to which we are able to forgive our parents for what they did/did not do, determines what kind of adults we are, and what kind of parents we ourselves become. “How far back do we blame?” she asked.
She said she intends the story to resonate with a national South African narrative too. She noted that her protagonist, Odette, tries to escape the vicissitudes of urban life by moving to a small town, only to discover that it is not simpler there, as she had hoped. Instead Odette finds herself enmeshed in a mass of conflicting loyalties. She has to confront the uncomfortable fact that one has “to take responsibility for one’s own past, present and future”.
Richards dedicated her book to both of her parents, whom she said she has lost in the last two months. She thanked them for giving her “a happy childhood”, saying she was forced to “use her imagination” when it came to visualising unhappy ones for her characters. She thanked Andrea Nattrass for being “the best publisher ever”.
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by Thando on Mar 19th, 2013
Two new books and their authors will be at Kalk Bay Books for a launch with a difference, Steven ‘Boykey’ Sidley and Jo-Anne Richards will be in conversation with each other about their respective books.
Richards’ latest novel, The Imagined Child, is a carefully plotted ‘whodunit’ that combines her trademark lyrical style with tight suspense and will keep you guessing until the last page.
Sidley’s second novel in as many years, Stepping Out, is a gripping tale of a man moving out of his comfort zone and beating the mundane into submission as he journeys to the underbelly of life.
The event will be held on Wednesday 3 April at 6:30 PM for 7:00 PM.
See you there!
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by Thando on Mar 8th, 2013
Pan Macmillan is pleased to present new editions of Last Summer and The Landscape Painter by Craig Higginson:
Last Summer:
It is summer in Stratford-upon-Avon. Thomas is a young theatre director at the Royal Shakespeare Company who is desperately in love with Lucy, the leading actress in a production of The Tempest.
Their experiences are woven into the life of a theatre presided over by Harry, an ageing South African exile who becomes caught up in a history he sought to escape.
Hilarious and deeply affecting by turn, Thomas’s account is compelling in its lyricism, eccentricity and energetic attachment to life. Through him, we get to meet a colourful cast of characters and live through the gripping events of an ill-fated summer in Stratford.
The Landscape Painter:
It is winter in London in 1947. When Arthur Bailey, an elderly painter who lives alone, catches sight of a young woman, Felicity, about to move into the neighbouring bed-sit, he is stirred to recall in haunting detail a long-suppressed narrative.
The Landscape Painter is a double tale of obsession, betrayed trust and irrepressible hope, which emerges as Arthur’s story unfolds. As a young, brilliant landscape painter he travelled to South Africa in 1898 in pursuit of his best friend’s sister, the beautiful and mysterious Carwyn Hamilton. Carwyn’s subsequent shocking betrayal led Arthur down a dark path of humiliation and haunted him for the next fifty years.
As Arthur delves ever deeper into his most intimate thoughts and desires, the past and present come together in a series of surprising turns and parallels and we meet a range of memorable characters – from the malevolent German governess, Miss Klimt, to Carwyn’s flirtatious and increasingly senile grandmother, Mutti. Finally, Arthur is forced to confront Felicity with the irreducible damage done to him.
From the gold-crazed streets of early Johannesburg to the epic battlefields of the Anglo-Boer War, and the austerity of post-Second World War Britain, The Landscape Painter is a spectacular historical novel packed with wit and insight and crafted in Higginson’s lyrical and sinuous but surgical prose.
About the author
Craig Higginson is the Literary Manager of the Market Theatre in Johannesburg and teaches creative writing at the University of the Witwatersrand. In February 2010, Higginson’s novel Last Summer was released to critical and popular acclaim. He is also well known as a playwright. The Girl in the Yellow Dress has had sold-out seasons at the Grahamstown Arts Festival, the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town and the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. It is currently on at the Market Theatre. His first play, Dream of the Dog, appeared at the Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End in a sold-out production featuring Janet Suzman.
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