Werkwinkel, 2011, vol. 6(1)

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Ground Zero: Die Suid-Afrikaanse literêre landskap ná Apartheid
(Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English, 2011) Brink, André
This article examines the nature of recent prose written in English and Afrikaans, referring to the end of apartheid as a Ground Zero in South African literature. In a synoptic review, the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s hearings are being identified as inspiration for a wealth of narratives that bare the soul and give voice to ordinary people’s stories, often projecting excessive violence as characteristic of society. This involves the re-telling of histories of the initial Dutch settlement at the Cape and the confronting of South African slavery. At the same time the international phenomena of the detective novel and of magic realism are also reflected locally against a changing contemporary landscape. In this respect the existence of stories as language constructs is conspicuous. The voices and perspectives of women remain central features in the prose of the last two decades. Some of the authors specifically referred to include J.M. Coetzee, Marlene van Niekerk, Damon Galgut, Nadine Gordimer, Sindiwe Magona, Ivan Vladislavić, Susan Mann, Zakes Mda, Dan Sleigh and particularly a 2010 debutant, Alastair Bruce, with his novel, Wall of Days.