Ground Zero: Die Suid-Afrikaanse literêre landskap ná Apartheid
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Date
2011
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Department of Dutch and South African Studies, Faculty of English
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Abstract
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.
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Keywords
post-Apartheid literature, slavery, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, violence
Citation
Werkwinkel vol. 6(1), 2011, pp. 9-22.