I would be happy to have some success as a popular fiction writer; to earn praise for competent, exciting thrillers.
Yet having been born in South Africa, decades before I had any writing ambitions, I had always been aware of our literary giants.
Who had not heard of Alan Paton; and the beautiful opening from his book Cry, The Beloved Country: ” There is a lovely road which runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. ”
Other gians include JM Coetzee, Andre Brink and Nadine Gordimer. In fact, when JM Coetzee moved abroad some years ago, I felt sad that our country had lost him.
Nadine Gordimer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991; her presence as one of these Giants a constant as long as I can remember.
It is with sadness for the loss as as human being and as a writer that I say :” Hamba Kahle : Go Well! ”
sweatingthewriting 