Compiled by Sam Raditlhalo 222 mm x 146 mm, 280 pages RRP: R175, ISBN 978-1-4152-0037-7 Publication date: October 2007, Category: Current Affairs Description A collection of journalistic essays by academic and writer Njabulo Ndebele that explore the vulnerabilities and the confusions that dog our understanding of South Africa past and present. Covering a span of 18 years (from 1987–2006), they cover a range of topics: from apartheid’s dying 'fireworks display' to the often heated debate surrounding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the loss of innocence in achieving a new South Africa, Thabo Mbeki and the AIDS question, the place of English in modern South Africa, that modern icon Brenda Fassie, higher education and the liberal tradition and – most recently – the writer's 'struggle' with Jacob Zuma and the ANC Youth League. Written with insight and compassion, these pieces provide a sane history of South Africa’s recent past and explain much about what often seems a baffling present. The book includes a 19-page appreciation by compiler Sam Raditlhalo, a senior lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Cape Town. From Fine Lines from the Box, page 251 The Year of the Dog a journey of the imagination It is many months since Jacob Zuma was forced to relinquish the position of deputy president of South Africa. Then he was tried for rape and acquitted. After these remarkable events which got many South Africans wondering about the future of our country, I would like to invite you on a short journey of the imagination. The temperature has gone down somewhat and now we can calmly reflect. Imagine that you are witnesses to the beating of a dog. Imagine that you are watching Zizi Kodwa, described in newspapers as the 'spokesperson of the ANC Youth League', outside the court where Jacob Zuma was recently on trial. Kodwa was reported to have called for 'the dogs to be beaten until their owners and handlers emerge'. My name, according to reports, was one of four on a list of these 'dogs'. To read on Listen to Victor Dlamini interviewing Njabulo Ndebele. Ndebele possesses one of the most admired styles in South African prose: controlled, probing, frequently surprising and, therefore, writerly. – Imraan Coovadia, Sunday Independent Magical! – Don Makatile, Soweto Sunday World The Ndebele voice is sober, wide-ranging, morally engaging and rigorous, frequently challenging as well as self-challenging. He reminds us constantly of our ever-present past as a society while alerting us to present and future dangers and possibilities. – Annie Gagiano, Litnet, February 2008. Read the whole review. Readers' comments via the website You are my inspiration. – Tau Moletsane E-mail us a comment on this book. (Comments may be edited and used on this website.) To buy this book www.exclusivebooks.com www.kalahari.net home   writers   books   contact   buy   rights all content © Umuzi, Random House Struik this website designed and maintained by Guanaco.co.za