South Africa

if you're into reading plays definitely go for Athol Fugard.. amazing writer.. i'd recommend "Boesman and Lena" to start with.. there are a few other writers... JM Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer are popular but i personally havent read anything by them. of course there is Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton if you havent already read it.. anyway... have a good time in Cape Town.. it is an amazing city .. have fun :)

thanks v much Nancy, I will check those out.

Wilbur Smith? maybe not your cup of tea ,bit of an adventure writer.

Disgrace by J M Coetzee won the Booker and is short, easy to read and absolutely brilliant. Not read any of his other stuff - don't read it for laffs though as I think all his stuff has a reputation for being pretty bleak.

no, try not to do "bleak" on my hols.

... 'bleak' might make you realise what a good time you're having compared to the characters in the book???

Gail, this might help..... These questions about South Africa were posted on a South African Tourism Website and were answered by the website owner. Q: Does it ever get windy in South Africa? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK) A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die. Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA) A: Depends how much you've been drinking. Q: I want to walk from Durban to Cape Town - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden) A: Sure, it's only two thousand kilometres take lots of water... Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in South Africa? (Sweden) A: So it's true what they say about Swedes. Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in South Africa? Can you send me a list of them in JHB, Cape Town, Knysna and Jeffrey's Bay? (UK) A: What did your last slave die of? Q: Can you give me some information about Koala Bear racing in South Africa? (USA) A: Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the pacific. A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not... oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Hillbrow. Come naked. Q: Which direction is north in South Africa? (USA) A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

The Kramer and Zondi detective thrillers by James McClure are some of the best ever written in that genre, in my opinion, and pretty unputdownable. I just checked on Amazon and though they are out of print they are all available secondhand. "Year of the King" by Anthony Sher is preoccupied with South Africa. Sher visits his friends and family in The Cape and gives powerful insights into the way society works and used to work there. It's a beautifully written and illustrated book too, from the days when Sher was a decent actor. d.beswetherick.

no problem Gail.. but with what you said.. i should warn you.. Athol Fugard is extremely depressing..

J M Coetzee you have to read along with Alan Paton and I would also reccomend the maginificent Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller...it is one of the finest accounts of childhood i have ever read and is by turns funny, moving, exasperating and exhilirating. Enjoy your visit

thanks everybody! I only have 2 weeks there. I'd better start my reading now to complete my ABC Masters in South African Literature!

Also worth checking out is Ruth First's wonderful biography of Nelson Mandela. You will need to understand the struggle in order to feel the present!

good idea Tony.

If you want some easy, short and very offbeat and amusing reading that might tell you a bit about the Afrikaners then I highly recommend any of Herman Charles Bosman's short stories. Stuart Cloete's "Turning Wheels" is a classic novel. Eugene Marais was a genius, and anything by him is worth reading: short stories, poetry or philosophical books, such as "The Soul of the Ape" and "The Soul of the White Ant". These last two are amongst the most intriguing books I have ever read, combining stories, natural history and philosophy. I found it impossible to tell what was fact and what was ficition. I imagine he inspired Laurens van der Post. I concur with the recommendations above: JM Coetzee, Anthony Sher and Alan Paton are wonderful. By the way, the most beautiful opening lines of any book I know come from "Cry the Beloved Country": 'There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it.' They summarise what's so tragic about the place. A lot of it (and here I definitely include the Cape Town area!) is so beautiful; what a pity the people don't get on with each toher. As in most countries, you'll find that most people believe that their view of it is the correct one, and it's easy, if you're white, to find yourself surrounded by a bunch of racists with their heads up their... (Sorry, South Africa, I know there are many to whom this doesn't apply!) If you want to know the horrors of the recent past, and have a strong stomach, then try "Country of My Skull" by Antjie Krog, who reported on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I believe Ellen Kuzwayo's "Call Me Woman" is another classic. If you're at all interested, here's a piece I write about my own visit to Cape Town: Have a wonderful time, and let us know about your trip!

...what was fact and what was ficition. Oops... fiction, even! Totsiens en alles van die beste! Hamba gahle!