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News from Parched Mountain: Tales from the Karoo in the New South Africa
News from Parched Mountain: Tales from the Karoo in the New South Africa
News from Parched Mountain: Tales from the Karoo in the New South Africa
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News from Parched Mountain: Tales from the Karoo in the New South Africa

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In these stories, which make an important contribution to the literary heritage of South Africa, we have a kind of marriage between P G du Plessis and Herman Charles Bosman. The style is eloquent, the picaresque characters unique and typical at the same time. The writer manages, within the limited space of a short story, to print a picture of his characters' physical attributes as well as their personality traits. There are a number of stories that tell why certain people are the way they are. The content and the style of writing give the stories a delightful South African flavour in the evocative use of appropriate figurative language and symbolism. There is a good balance between narration and dialogue. Settings, where necessary, are vividly described, especially the arid landscape, the farms and the vegetation. The stories are all the more interesting and topical for their pithy comment on the ills of modern society and the allusions to problems in the New South Africa. They make compelling reading, for the outcome of each is invariably unexpected.

The author has written a quartette of stories, the other three titles of the quartette being Pivot of Violence: Tales of the New South Africa, Flakes of Dark and Light: Tales From Southern Africa and Elsewhere; and Just a Bit Touched: Tales of Perspective. All make a very vivid and lasting impression.

LanguageEnglish
PublisheriUniverse
Release dateOct 23, 2000
ISBN9781462080984
News from Parched Mountain: Tales from the Karoo in the New South Africa
Author

Roy Holland

Roy Holland was born in Birmingham. He went to Africa in 1966 to teach in the universities of the Boleswa countries. He wrote full-time until 1974, when he returned to the U.K. and worked on a research project until returning to Africa in 1977. He retired early to write full-time. Recently he has returned to England to settle in Dorset.

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    Book preview

    News from Parched Mountain - Roy Holland

    News from Parched Mountain

    Tales from the Karoo in the new South Africa

    All Rights Reserved © 2000 by Roy Holland

    No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by

    any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

    recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system,

    without the permission in writing from the publisher.

    Writers Club Press

    an imprint of iUniverse.com, Inc.

    For information address:

    iUniverse.com, Inc.

    5220 S 16th, Ste. 200

    Lincoln, NE 68512

    www.iuniverse.com

    ISBN: 0-595-14612-0

    ISBN: 978-1-4620-8098-4(ebook)

    Contents

    FRONTISPIECE

    INTRODUCTION

    NOTES ON NlCKNAMES

    1

    A STORY THAT ISN’T A STORY

    2

    I’M SPEAKING IN CONFIDENCE

    3

    AS IT HAPPENED

    4

    HE REJUVENATION OF SARAH JACOBS

    5

    AUNT TOLLA’S LUCKY DIP

    6

    MY NAME IS CARITAS

    7

    CONFESSIONS

    8

    A HARD CASE

    9

    FAT WHITE WOMAN WHOM NOBODY LOVES

    10

    AN INCORRECT COMPASSION

    11

    MOTHERHOOD

    12

    PANACHE

    13

    PLEDGES

    14

    SILENT TALKER

    15

    SKIN GAME

    16

    THE STROKE

    17

    THE SMELL OF SUNDAY

    18

    THE HOUSE THAT JACQUES BUILT

    19

    LOYALTIES

    20

    PHOTOGRAPHS

    21

    A TALE SHORT AND SOUR

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    FRONTISPIECE

    Town of Kareeburg and reflect the tensions between the conservative lives of the Afrikaner inhabitants and the climate of change in the new South Africa.

    hese vivid stories are set in and around the Karoo

    In these stories, which make an important contribution to the literary heritage of South Africa, we have a kind of marriage between P G du Plessis and Herman Charles Bosman. The style is eloquent, the picaresque characters unique and typical at the same time. The writer manages, within the limited space of a short story, to print a picture of his characters’ physical attributes as well as their personality traits. There are a number of stories that tell why certain people are the way they are. The content and the style of writing give the stories a delightful South African flavour in the evocative use of appropriate figurative language and symbolism. There is a good balance between narration and dialogue. Settings, where necessary, are vividly described, especially the arid landscape, the farms and the vegetation. The stories are all the more interesting and topical for their pithy comment on the ills of modern society and the allusions to problems in the New South Africa. They make compelling reading, for the outcome of each is invariably unexpected.

    The author has written a quartette of stories, the other three titles of the quartette being Pivot ofViolence: Tales of the New South Africa, Flakes of Dark and Light: Tales From Southern Africa and Elsewhere; and Just a Bit Touched: Tales of Perspective. All make a very vivid and lasting impression.

    INTRODUCTION

    This fine collection of stories has as its unifying element the Karoo town of Kareeburg and its inhabitants. The stories are indeed ‘good to read’, as the author says, and they do also ‘give pleasures of other kinds.’ They make an important contribution to the literary heritage of South Africa.

    As a collection it is ‘dense’ in that its substance is so varied, the style eloquent and the characters most interesting, being unique and typical at the same time. The writer manages, within the limited space of a short story, to print a picture of his characters’ physical attributes as well as their personality traits. There are a number of stories that tell why certain people are the way they are. The content and the style of writing give the stories a delightful South African flavour in the following respects:

    •   the names of people (and their nicknames);

    •   the names of indigenous plants and animals;

    •   the jobs and activities of people in a ‘rural’ town in South Africa;

    •   the Afrikaans idiom of some of the dialogue;

    •   the references to political events in South Africa;

    •   the choice of Afrikaans words and phrases for which there are no suitable English equivalents.

    I have to admit that I felt compelled to read every one of these stories since I simply didn’t know what to expect, unlike certain collections that are similar in theme, story type and style.

    All in all, the collection constitutes a combination of the features that make for an interesting and admirable anthology:

    •   variety of short story (representative of the genre)

    •   good dialogue

    •   excellent description, varied vocabulary

    •   evocative use of appropriate figurative language and symbolism

    •   good balance between narration and dialogue

    •   settings, where necessary, vividly described, especially the landscape, the farms and the vegetation

    •   pithy comment on the ills of modern society

    •   references to problems in the New South Africa

    •   each story is an entity in its own right and could stand on its own in another anthology (various authors) and yet all the stories contribute to the whole

    •   variety of topics/themes

    •   good balance between the serious and the humorous or light-hearted

    •   titles very apt.

    We have here a kind of marriage between P G du Plessis and Herman Charles Bosman. Not only does the collection make for good reading—it would be an ideal script

    for a television series such as the Ko-operasie Stories, which I believe enjoyed a wide popularity in South Africa.

    The author has written a trilogy of stories, the other two titles of the trilogy being Pivot ofViolence: Tales ofthe new South Africa, and Flakes ofDark and Light. All make a very vivid and lasting impression.

    Charles Muller

    MA (Wales) PhD (London) DLitt (OFS) DEd (SA)

    NOTES ON NlCKNAMES

    These tales are set in the Karoo of South Africa.

    A few words about the names of some of the characters might be useful and amusing.

    The Karoo and Namaqualand have their own dialects of Afrikaans and the Afrikaners of these parts display an intriguing gift: the knack of bestowing apt nicknames. They sum up the character or the appearance or psychological nature of the recipients with great accuracy and sympathy, and often with high humour.

    Edward Lear said that naming a cat was a great test of imagination. Naming a human being must be at least an equal test. The Afrikaners of these parts pass Lear’s test with distinction, although there is a practical reason that so many nicknames are used.

    In rural areas, Afrikaner communities are relatively small and homogeneous and inter-related. To distinguish among the hundreds of men named Jan, for instance, or Jakobus (perhaps the commonest given names—John and James, in English) a nickname is frequently appended to the forename. Thus: Jan Verdriet where Verdriet is the distinguishing nickname. His surname would not habitually be used. Sometimes, however, the surname is tacked on as well—as in Jan Klantjies Burger, when the person is usually referred to by the three names, the middle being the nickname: this would indicate that there is another Jan Burger nearby.

    (A similar custom is observed in Wales. For instance, Dai Bread, or Ockey the Milk, or Ockey Milkman, in Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood.)

    Aunt Tolla

    Tolla, a straight nickname of unknown meaning and derivation.

    Blink Louis Louw

    (Kabouter’s husband). Blink can refer to a bald patch, or to a flashy appearance. Louis is pronounced in the French fashion. Thus: Flashy Louis Louw.

    Bocca Finberg

    Bocca is an Italian word for mouth, referring to the character’s urge to talk. She is of Italian lineage, married to a Jewish husband. The nickname was probably bestowed on her as a child by her relatives, not by Afrikaners.

    Broodvoetjies

    Brood is Afrikaans for bread (pronounced broo-ot, two syllables). Voet is Afrikaans for foot. The suffix -ie added to a name makes it a diminutive. Adding the diminutive usually implies affection. Here, adding the diminutive and making it plural yields voetjies (pronounced foo-e-kees, three syllables). Thus: Loaf-feet, with an implied affection for the person.

    Dries Vermeulen

    Dries is an abbreviated form of Andries.

    Drietjie

    Drie is an abbreviation for Hendrina. Adding the diminutive -ie yields Drietjie, pronounced Dreekie. Thus: Little Hendrina.

    Freek Coetzee

    Freek is an abbreviation of Frederik. Pronounced in two syllables—Free-ek.

    Fronie Roux

    Fronie is probably an abbreviation of her maiden name, Froneman, not a recognised nickname.

    Jan Kip

    Kip, the slang expression in English for sleep. Probably referring to a tendency to hide away and go to sleep at odd times.

    Jan Klantjies Burger

    Klantjies is a dialect word meaning little black boy.

    Thus: Jan Little-Black-Boy Burger.

    Jan Matroos

    Matroos means sailor. Pronounced matroo-os, two syllables. Refers to his past life at sea.

    Jantjie Four Letter Roux

    Jantjie is Jan plus the diminutive -ie.

    Four letter refers to his fondness for a certain swear word and all its derivatives common to both English and Afrikaans. Thus: Little Jan Four-letter Roux.

    Jan Verdriet

    Verdriet in Afrikaans means sorrow (pronounced fur- drit). Thus Jan Sorrow. Could commemorate a loss or a sad event experienced by the person; or a man whose enduring mood is one of sorrow. Or even the name of the farm he lives on.

    Jikkie Botha

    Jikkie means a little itch. Pronounced yickey.

    Jood Badenhorst

    Jood means Jew. Pronounced you’ud, two syllables. Usually, close-fisted with money.

    Kabouter Louw

    Kabouter is an Afrikaans word for elf. A nickname referring to her elfin appearance and possibly to her nature as well.

    Kalbas Visagie

    Kalbas means urn or gourd. Another reference to the character’s physical appearance.

    Klantjies Henderson

    Black-Boy Henderson. (See above).

    Kleintjie

    Klein is an Afrikaans word for little or small. Add the diminutive -ie and it yields Kleintjie—Little One—pronounced Clayn-key, two syllables.

    Old Noentjie

    Old is often used, as in English, not to denote age but to indicate affection, as in Old Tom when a boy refers to his young friend. Noentjie is a nickname with a diminutive suffix. It has no meaning that I can discover.

    Oom Koos Claasens

    Oom is the usual term in Afrikaans for uncle. Pronounced oo-om, two syllables. Afrikaner children address adults outside the family, even strangers, as Oom. It is a mark of respect. Adults also address older adults as Oom, as a mark of respect.

    Koos (pronounced Koo-os, two syllables) is an abbreviation of Jakobus (James). Other abbreviated forms of the name are: Kobus, Kobie, Jako.

    Oom Tikkie Jacobs

    For Oom, see above. Tikkie is a colloquial term for the old-fashioned threepenny bit, a small silver coin about the size of the old British farthing. Often applied to small people and children. Thus: Uncle Threepenny-bit Jacobs.

    Oupa Dries Onreg

    Oupa is the Afrikaans word for grandfather. Dries is an abbreviation for Andries. Onreg is an Afrikaans word for injustice. Thus: Grandfather Dries Injustice. Onreg is the name of his farm; it does not in this instance refer to his psychology. It was probably added to distinguish him from another Oupa Dries living nearby.

    Ruditjie

    Rudie is a normal Afrikaans name. The addition of the diminutive -ie gives it the sense of Little Rudie. An affectionate term.

    Sakkie

    An abbreviation (plus a diminutive -ie) of Isaak. Thus, Little Isaak. Affectionate.

    Swye van Tonder

    Swye means silence. Prounced Sway-e, two syllables. Bestowed ironically because of his great talkativeness.

    Tannie Zelda

    Tannie is the usual word in Afrikaans for auntie. It is used for females in the same way as oom is used for males—as a mark of respect. It can also be used colloquially by English speakers, usually in the plural and usually derisively, to refer to a number of women: thus, those old tannies!

    Truda

    Truda is an abbreviation for Gertrude.

    Wit Hennie

    Wit is an Afrikaans word for white—referring here to the colour of his hair. Hennie is an abbreviation (plus the diminutive -ie) for Hendrik. Thus: Little-Hendrik-with- the white-hair.

    Worsie Minaar

    Wors means sausage in Afrikaans (pronounced vors). Thus, Worsie means Little Sausage. In the case of this character, it refers to his shape.

    1

    A STORY THAT ISN’T A STORY 

    Ifirst came to Kareeburg about twenty years ago when I saw an advertisement for a lawyer’s clerk in a Cape Town paper. I’ve worked in the same office ever since.

    You won’t find the name on a map, but it’s a real enough town. Even if you follow the signposts they won’t take you all the way. You will get so far, and then you will discover that the road signs don’t mention the name any more. You’ll find yourself on the road to somewhere else. It’s that kind of place. You’ve got to have a nose for such places. Besides, that is generally the way with road signs in South Africa: they peter out. Unless, of course, you happen to be on a motorway to some hellhole or other, and then they go on for ever. That is one of the reasons I came to Kareeburg in the first place: I found I couldn’t stand living in cities any more.

    The stories put together in this collection are about the people of Kareeburg, but don’t look for a work of art. I’m no writer of real literature. I’m just a lawyer’s clerk who writes reports for the local rag and, as you know, newspaper stories are factual—unless they happen to be fictional, which most of them are these days. As a matter of fact, I’ve invented a few myself when I’ve been stuck for news; and I discovered they went down pretty well, too. Often, readers preferred them. I put this down to people liking to read about what they wish would happen, rather than wanting to know what really does happen. Anyway, I learned pretty soon that facts don’t give you the truth. They only give you information. Truth and information are not at all the same thing. Mostly, these stories are what I’ve seen with my own two eyes, or heard with my own two ears. Sometimes they’re based on what I’ve been told; but always they are about the people of Kareeburg, except for one or two about me—like this one, for instance.

    Of course, I’ve had to be careful what I’ve put into this collection. Some things that are absolutely one hundred per cent accurate, people won’t believe. For example, I could tell you about a member of the Afrikaaner Weerstands Beweging (AWB) who not only treats the workers on his farm like people, but actually believes that is what they are. He has installed flush toilets in their quarters, with running water. That is absolutely gospel truth! But would you believe me if I told you that some people call me a liar to my face whenever I mention it?

    And, on the opposite side of the political spectrum, I could tell you about a rich farmer hereabouts who has been a convinced liberal all his life, and yet treats his workers less well than his sheep, and will tell you endless stories of the idiocy, the drunkenness, the dishonesty and laziness of the Coloureds he has known.

    But I’ve got to be careful what I say. I don’t want to go beyond the bounds of credibility, or you’ll simply dismiss my reports as a lot of rubbish. You see, politics, as a topic, is a very thorny issue in Kareeburg. So I haven’t reported on politics as such. If I wanted to do that it would be easy. The place is teeming with politics; it’s a Nat stronghold.

    I could tell you how some of the most influential members of the town decided recently to put one of the two slagters out of business. They did it simply by boycotting him, and persuading the Coloured population to do the same. They just spread the word that he was a member of the Konserwatiewe Party with sympathies for the AWB: which, true or not, was all that was necessary. His meat then wasn’t worth eating. It takes some believing, but it’s a fact! And this under the dispensation that is bringing in ‘a New South Africa’. What happened to freedom of thought, I thought?

    Naturally, I could tell you as many stories on the other side of the spectrum—about people who have even deserted the Nederduits Gereformede Kerk and become members of the Afrikaner Protestante Kerk (APK), and who won’t greet a Nat in the street. Then, I’ve heard some liberals, who are full of the milk of human kindness and would not offend those of a different colour for love nor money, describe that breakaway church as the KSK—die Kerk Sonder Kaffirs! The Kirk Without Kaffirs!

    Do they know how it sounds?

    Wasn’t it Voltaire who said: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it? He must be restless in his grave. Democracy is a very fragile flower and it makes you wonder if ours is the climate for it to bloom in.

    So I haven’t written directly about politics at all. I’ve tried to write about what you might call the politics of the human heart, or the politics of the human spirit—all the hopes and desires and needs that underpin party plat- forms—because I believe these are the real political issues. After all, if you feel hungry enough for long enough, you will make a political party out of it; just as, if you’re acquisitive or greedy enough, you will make a political philosophy out of that.

    My one worry about these pieces is whether a mere reporter can really get hold of the truth of anything. To get to the real truth you need to be a poet, and that is the one thing I am not. In writing up these stories—perhaps dispatches would be a better description for them—I have been brought up short, time and time again. A poet was needed. So, I might as well tell you now, poetry is missing from these pieces and probably, therefore, the truth is missing, too. But I’ve done the best I can.

    One of the areas I would have liked to write more about is the Church. The developments recently happening in the sphere of religion are truly miraculous. After being in the rearguard of society, and following reluctantly in the wake of politicians for hundreds of years, the Church has suddenly transformed itself into a body that is way ahead of the demagogues and is urging them loudly to hurry and catch up. Some Church leaders have even got a yard or two on the Bible itself. Have they or have they not shifted their gaze from the contemplation of heavenly values to the efficacy of temporal programmes? What was the power behind the scenes? Was the transformation accomplished by the efforts of men alone; or with the blessing of God? Those are the questions I would have liked to investigate; it is the kind of controversial issue a reporter likes.

    But he has to be cautious.

    What I am trying to say probably amounts to the following: Kareeburg

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