Sindiwe Magona and the Power of Paradox

Sindiwe Magona and the Power of Paradox
Author: Renée Schatteman
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2024-04-23
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1040020216

This book examines the work of Sindiwe Magona, one of South Africa’s most prolific and groundbreaking writers, widely recognized for highlighting the everyday experiences of women and the domestic side of apartheid. A pioneer among black African women writers, she is equally respected as storyteller, advocate for children’s education, activist for HIV/AIDS awareness, and champion of indigenous languages. In this book, Renée Schatteman contends that Magona’s most important contribution comes through her refusal to choose sides in the contentious debates that have polarized public discourse following apartheid. By straddling two (or more) sides of a controversy and challenging any who do harm to others (and to the nation), regardless of their position, she blurs distinctions that are assumed to be absolute, opens new avenues of understanding, and inspires alternative visions for the future. By occupying the space of paradox, she undermines the closed epistemological structures inherited from apartheid and champions the need for interdependence, truth-telling, and dialogue. Covering her creative production over three decades (which includes novels, autobiographies and biographies, short story collections, children’s books, and literature about HIV/AIDS), this book is an essential read for Magona enthusiasts as well as for researchers of African literature and postcolonial South Africa.

How Dassie Missed Getting a Tail

How Dassie Missed Getting a Tail
Author: Sindiwe Magona
Publisher:
Total Pages: 49
Release: 2015
Genre: Tales
ISBN: 9781485622307

All the animals in the forest were called to the palace to receive a tail from the king. Dassie did not feel like going and he asked his friends to collect his tail, but they all forgot.

The 3 Little Dassies

The 3 Little Dassies
Author: Jan Brett
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2010-09-21
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1101646977

The Three Little Pigs with a twist! In the tradition of her bestseller The Three Snow Bears, Jan Brett finds inspiration for her version of a familiar story in Namibia, where red rock mountains and vivid blue skies are home to appealing little dassies and hungry eagles. Mimbi, Pimbi and Timbi hope to find "a place cooler, a place less crowded, a place safe from eagles!" to build their new homes. The handsomely dressed Agama Man watches from the borders as the eagle flies down to flap and clap until he blows a house down. But in a deliciously funny twist, that pesky eagle gets a fine comeuppance! Bold African patterns and prints fill the stunning borders, but it is the dassies in their bright, colorful dresses and hats that steal the show in this irresistible tale, perfect for reading aloud.

The Rainbow Flute

The Rainbow Flute
Author: Modison Salayedvwa Magagula
Publisher: Hippocrene Books
Total Pages: 176
Release: 1997
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

One Last Thing Before I Go

One Last Thing Before I Go
Author: Jonathan Tropper
Publisher: Dutton
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2013-05-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0142196819

Struggling with his ex-wife's imminent marriage to a nice guy and his Princeton-bound daughter's unplanned pregnancy, a bewildered Drew Silver tackles difficult family dynamics and refuses to undergo a life-saving operation.