Zakes Mda is a novelist, poet, and playwright celebrated for his compelling and engaging narratives. His work delves into the complexities of human experience and societal issues, employing rich language and intricate characters. Mda masterfully bridges tradition and modernity, offering a distinctive perspective on contemporary Africa. Readers are drawn to his ability to craft deeply resonant stories that provoke thought and reflection.
Set in the late nineteenth century, the narrative follows a group of Zulu men who are brought to New York as exotic performers. The story explores their experiences and struggles as they navigate a foreign culture, confronting both curiosity and prejudice. Through their journey, themes of identity, exploitation, and resilience are vividly portrayed, shedding light on the complexities of cultural exchange and the impact of colonialism on individual lives.
In the timeless kingdom of Mapungubwe, the royal sculptor had two sons, Chata and Rendani. As they grew, so grew their rivalry--and their extraordinary talents. But while Rendani became a master carver of the animals that run in the wild hills and lush valleys of the land, Chata learned to carve fantastic beings from his dreams, creatures never before seen on the Earth. From this natural rivalry between brothers, Zakes Mda crafts an irresistibly rich fable of love and family. What makes the better art, perfect mimicry or inspiration? Who makes the better wife, a princess or a mysterious dancer? Ageless and contemporary, deceptive in its simplicity and mythical in its scope, The Sculptors of Mapungubwe encompasses all we know of love, envy, and the artist's primal power to forge art from nature and nature into art. Mda's newest novel will only strengthen his international reputation as one of the most trenchant voices of South Africa.
Hermanus an der südafrikanischen Küste ist die Welthauptstadt der Wale. Jedes Jahr strömen Scharen von Touristen in die kleine Stadt, um die Glattwale zu beobachten, die die Wintermonate in der warmen Bucht verbringen. Der Walrufer will mit dem ganzen Rummel und der Geschäftemacherei des neuen Südafrikas nichts zu tun haben. Er lebt als Eigenbrötler abseits in einer Hütte, und wenn er eine gewisse Melodie auf seinem Horn anstimmt, kann er die Wale zu sich locken – besonders Sharisha, das Glattwalweibchen. Der Walrufer ist überzeugt, dass Sharisha seine Liebe erwidert, wenn sie zu den Tönen aus seinem Horn im Wasser tanzt. Während er den Wal umwirbt, wird er selbst von Saluni umworben, einer Frau, die in roten Stöckelschuhen durch die Kneipen von Hermanus zieht und so leichtsinnig ist wie der Walrufer vorsichtig. Saluni stellt sein Leben auf den Kopf und ist nicht gewillt, das Dreiecksverhältnis zwischen Mann, Frau und Wal zu akzeptieren.
Set against a backdrop of rich storytelling, this Picador Paperback Original features a unique narrative that captivates readers with its intricate characters and themes. The book delves into profound human experiences, exploring emotional depths and societal issues. With a blend of sharp wit and poignant observations, it invites readers to reflect on their own lives while immersing them in a vividly crafted world. The author's distinctive voice and compelling prose make this a standout addition to contemporary literature.
Winner of the M-Net Book Prize Shortlisted for the CNA and Noma Awards In Ways of Dying, Zakes Mda's acclaimed first novel, Toloki is a "professional mourner" in a vast and violent city of the new South Africa. Day after day he attends funerals in the townships, dressed with dignity in a threadbare suit, cape, and battered top hat, to comfort the grieving families of the victims of the city's crime, racial hatred, and crippling poverty. At a Christmas day funeral for a young boy Toloki is reunited with Noria, a woman from his village. Together they help each other to heal the past, and as their story interweaves with those of their acquaintances this elegant short novel provides a magical and painful picture of South Africa today. Ways of Dying was awarded South Africa's prestigious M-Net Book Prize, awarded by the TV channel M-Net to books written in one of South Africa's official languages, and was shortlisted for the Central News Agency (CNA) Award and the Noma Award, an Africa-wide prize founded by Shoichi Noma, onetime president of Kodansha International.
Im Herzen der südafrikanischen Provinz Free State liegt das Burenstädtchen Excelsior. Kein Gesetz kann jedoch die Lust am Verbotenen verhindern: Trotz strenger Rassentrennung treffen sich der Bürgermeister, der Pfarrer, der Metzger, der Polizist heimlich mit jungen schwarzen Frauen in einer Scheune. Als die Frauen eine nach der anderen hellhäutige Kinder zur Welt bringen, fliegt die Sache auf und die verschlafene Kleinstadt gerät ins Scheinwerferlicht der Weltöffentlichkeit. Der Autor Zakes Mda macht sich in Excelsior auf die Suche nach den Beteiligten und ihren Geheimnissen. Im Zentrum stand damals die junge Schwarze Niki mit ihren beiden Kindern. Mda erzählt ihre Geschichte – es ist gleichzeitig die Geschichte seines Landes.
In a new novel by one of the premier writers of the ''new'' South Africa, an exile returns from America--where he fled during the apartheid regime--to find his newly democratic country in a shambles.
