Fred Khumalo sa hlboko zaoberá sociálnymi a politickými prúdmi svojej rodnej krajiny, skúma témy identity, spravodlivosti a zložitosti súčasného juhoafrického života. Jeho próza sa vyznačuje neúprosnou úprimnosťou a silným rozprávačským hlasom, ktorý čitateľov vtiahne do srdca zážitkov jeho postáv. Khumalo dielo neustále skúma priesečníky osobnej histórie a kolektívnej pamäte, pričom popri hlbokom ľudskom vhľade ponúka ostrý sociálny komentár. Tvorí príbehy, ktoré rezonujú naliehavosťou a bystrým pochopením ľudského stavu.
"A boy plays detective, investigating the case of a goat and a coat; a woman takes revenge; an inhlabi bites off more than he can chew; teenage enmity rears its head in a prestigious school for girls; a man is cursed with an ever-growing sexual appetite; and more thoughtful stories with an entertaining zing"--Back cover.
A hundred and twenty years ago, seven thousand Zulu mineworkers walked from the gold mines in Johannesburg to Natal, covering a distance of five hundred kilometres over ten days. This journey was their longest march. It is 1899 and Philippa’s fiancé Nduku has just broken off their engagement. She is heartbroken – after all, she has followed him from Kimberley, where they first met, to the goldfields of Johannesburg. In this bustling new city, tensions are mounting between the South African Republic and the gold-hungry British Empire. When war is declared, the mines are shut down and migrant workers ordered to leave town. But how do you get home and out of harm’s way when there are no running trains and home is hundreds of kilometres away? You walk. Over perilous terrain – sleeping in the open, being attacked by wild animals and harassed by armed white farmers – Nduku and Philippa and seven thousand others walk. Disguised as a mineworker’s wife, for Philippa is white, she and Nduku talk about their true histories, about their fears and hopes, with every footfall. On their way to Natal, and on their long journey into their inner selves, the possibility of lasting happiness seems within reach – if only they can survive, and if only they can weather the storm of an unexpected third player in their troubled romance. Set during an incredible event in South African history, Fred Khumalo’s new novel is a tale of heady determination, and a tribute to the perseverance and courage of ordinary men and women when faced with extraordinary circumstances.
Paris, 1958. Ein unscheinbarer Kellner steht vor Gericht. Er muss sich für den Mord an zwei Gästen verantworten, schweigt aber beharrlich. Nun beginnen andere zu erzählen. Von Zwangsrekrutierungen der britischen Kolonialmacht in Südafrika während des Ersten Weltkriegs. Von der Tragödie des Untergangs des Dampfschiffs Mendi, bei der 646 Menschen starben, darunter viele Schwarze Soldaten. Von einem Mann, der überlebte, aber um jeden Preis ein anderer bleiben will. Basierend auf einer wahren Geschichte, erzählt Fred Khumalo in diesem packenden Roman von einem Mörder und wirft dabei die Frage auf, was ein Leben wert ist, wenn es auf Lügen aufbaut.