"Not writing is always a relief and sometimes a pleasure. Writing about what cannot be written, by contrast, is the devil's own job." In this unusual text, a blend of essay, fiction, and literary genealogy, South African novelist Ivan Vladislavic explores the problems and potentials of the fictions [...]
This dazzling portrait of Johannesburg is one of the most haunting, poetic pieces of reportage about a metropolis since Suketu Mehta s Maximum City. Through precisely crafted snapshots, Ivan Vladislavic observes the unpredictable, day-today transformation of his embattled city: the homeless using ma[...]
Lavishly published by Sylph Editions with the Center for Writers and Translators at the American University of Paris, the "Cahiers Series" features some of the most venerable names in publishing and makes available new explorations in writing and translation. "A Labour of Moles", the newest addition[...]
Suitable for those who want to put their faith in a writer who knows - and loves - his city from the inside out: Suketu Mehta's "Maximum City", Edmund White's "The Flaneur", Orhan Pamuk's "Istanbul", and Joseph Brodsky's "Watermark".[...]
"One of the most imaginative minds at work in South African literature today."--Andre BrinkOriginally part of a collaborative project with photographer David Goldblatt, "Double Negative" is a subtle triptych that captures the ordinary life of Neville Lister during South Africa's extraordinary revolu[...]
It is 1993, and Aubrey Tearle's world is shutting down. He has recently retired from a lifetime of proofreading telephone directories. His favorite neighborhood haunt in Johannesburg, the Cafe Europa, is about to close its doors; the familiar old South Africa is already gone. Standards, he grumbles,[...]
What kind of Detective am I? Eardrum or tympanum? Gullet or aesophagus? Pussy or pudenda? A Detective needs a language almost as much as a language needs a Detective. In this new collection of stories, award-winning author Ivan Vladislavic invites readers to do some detective work of their own. Eac[...]
I Snabbköpet Rastlös befinner vi oss mitt i Johannesburg, mitt under den omvälvande omdaningen av Sydafrika under nittiotalet, men också mitt i en burlesk skröna. Omskapandet av landet gestaltas här som en avspegling i livet på ett från början halvelegant kafé i europeisk stil under dess f[...]
I de skiftande och halvfärdiga miljöerna i Johannesburgs utkanter möter vi fyra män: en statistiker, en sanitetsingenjör, en konstnär som gör utställningar på temat folkmord, och en affischerare som har tappat sin mobiltelefon på en byggarbetsplats. Alla försöker de skapa sammanhang i et[...]