The Booker Prize is awarded to the best novel of the year written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, so you could call it a big deal. For Karen Jennings, who is also busy completing her doctorate in English at the University of Johannesburg, writing is how she makes sense of herself and the world she comes from. ‘Every book I write is an experiment, or an attempt to understand my place in the balance of things,’ she says.
‘As a white South African and African, I’m constantly grappling with my place on the continent I call home. There’s no denying that our history is rooted in violence and exploitation, so I’m very much trying, through my writing, to understand the role my ancestors played in creating the South Africa of today and, more importantly, imagining a way forward together.
‘I don’t claim to have the answer. After all, these things can never be absolute.’
An Island follows the story of Samuel, an old lighthouse keeper who leads a solitary life on an island off the coast of Africa. One day the sea delivers Samuel a companion in the form of a refugee who washes up unconscious on his beach. Over the course of four days, Samuel grapples with fear and guilt as the refugee’s arrival triggers memories of his former life on the mainland, his home ravaged by colonial rule and dictatorship, followed by uprisings and xenophobic violence. It is a modern fable interlaced with potent questions: how far woud we go to protect what we consider ours, and how do we paint ‘the other’ on our road to justifying what we believe is right?
This story is from the November/December 2021 edition of Fairlady.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November/December 2021 edition of Fairlady.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Easter with edge
Grant knows what it's like to miss out on the celebrations that anchor family life.
The MALE bias
Historically, medical studies were mainly done on male mice and on men; and then extrapolated to treat women, as if a female body were just a smaller version of a male one. Here’s why that doesn’t make sense, and how to work with your body’s natural rhythm for better health.
Wellbeing
How to sleep better, feel better and look better!
The other type of CHEATING
Lies about money can have devastating consequences in a relationship.
THE 'PEST' IN PESTICIDES
oe r Despite many highly Hs hazardous pesticides being banned in their countries of origin, 192 of them are still legally exported to South Africa
START A BUSINESS LIKE a Saffer
There's nothing quite like a South African entrepreneur. In the face of adversity, they innovate and persevere. But what fuels that determination? We chatted to some self-starters to find out.
How to take the MONOTONY OUT OF MONOGAMY
It's easy to get complacent in a long-term relationship. Before you know it, your partner is little more than your roommate. Here's how to shake things up.
SUPER TROUPER
At one point, Josie Borain was the most famous model in the world. Her face was on every magazine that mattered. And in the madness of all that attention, she never lost her sense of self. She talks to us about turning 60, being single, and starting her third act with a move to the platteland.
Little wonder
Over the years we have visited 16 Greek islands, but when we first set foot on Halki, the little-known gem just south of Rhodes, we knew we'd found the closest thing to the perfect one. And we vowed to return. Often.
HOME AFFAIRS
These three entrepreneurs are redefining the heartbeat of homes through their unique blend of creativity, sustainability and purposeful design.