Homebru 2006: Celebrate South Africa!

Sharon Jenkings

Homebru 2006 book give-away! Every week Exclusive Books will be giving away a copy of two Homebru 2006 titles. All you have to do to stand the chance of winning is answer a simple weekly question. Click here for more information and keep an eye on the LitNet newsletter.

What is Homebru 2006?
Homebru 2006 is an Exclusive Books initiative to celebrate South African writing. Twenty-five titles are chosen (this year out of 140 submissions) to showcase South Africa's homegrown talent in both fiction and non-fiction writing. "It represents a fantastic choice of hugely entertaining reading ... [which] recognises and encourages the excellent work produced by our local writers," explains a spokesperson for Exclusive Books.

This year Homebru flew under the banner of Celebrate South Africa as there was a "... sense that local stories have become comfortable in their own skin". There was also a "common thread in that they depict experiences of what it's like being a South African today".

In an interview with Batya Green-Bricker, Marketing Manager of Exclusive Books, we find out more about the Homebru campaign, what went into the selection process, and what makes a story truly South African.

We also asked ten questions to all 25 Homebru 2006 authors, and listed below are a few of the responses, to date:

Fiction        *      Non-fiction

The 10 questions for fiction writers:

1. What does it mean to you to have your writing recognised and celebrated as “South African”?

2. As a South African writer did you set out to write a story South Africans will recognise as their own?

3. What, to you, does a South African story encapsulate?

4. As a South African is it possible for one’s writing to be free of political and historical influence?

5. Is there a writing community in South Africa or is writing in this country a solitary journey?

6. Who do you think is the most influential South African writer today? And who is your favourite local author?

7. If you could choose five works from SA literature that would be able to communicate the “South African experience” which five would you choose, and why? (Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, performance poetry, etc.)

8. Have you read any of the other Exclusive Books Homebru 2006 titles?

9. What makes you a South African?

10. What is your favourite South Africanism?

Click on an author's name to read his/her answers:

•  Pat Stamatelos, author of Kroes, published by Kwela
•  Tom Eaton, author of The De Villiers Code, published by Penguin
•  Rozena Maart, author of Rosa's District 6, published by New Africa
•  Praba Moodley, author of A Scent so Sweet, published by NB Publishers

Click here for a complete list of Homebru 2006 authors.

The 10 questions for non-fiction writers:

1. What does it mean to you to have your writing recognised and celebrated as “South African”?

2. What was it that led you to write a book about this aspect of South Africa?

3. As a South African is it possible for one’s thinking and therefore writing to be free of political and historical influence?

4. Is there a writing community in South Africa or is writing in this country a solitary journey?

5. What different (or similar) roles do fiction and non-fiction play in constructing a South African experience / literature in 2006 and beyond?

6. Do you think South African non-fiction has international appeal? Can the same be said for unashamedly South African fiction?

7. Who do you think is the most influential South African writer today? And who is your favourite local author?

8. If you could choose five works from SA literature that would be able to communicate the “South African experience” which five would you choose, and why? (Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, performance poetry, etc.)

9. What makes you a South African?

10. What is your favourite South Africanism?

Click on an author's name to read his/her answers:

•  Gabeba Baderoon, author of A Hundred Silences, published by Kwela
•  Greg Mills, author of Seven Battles, published by Tafelberg
•  Melinda Ferguson, author of Smacked, published by Struik Publishers
•  Lauren Segal, author of Number Four: The Making of Constitution Hill, published by Penguin Publishers South Africa
  

Moenie ons Homebru 2006-kompetisie misloop nie! Wen 'n lekker Suid-Afrikaanse boekpakkie! Klik hier om meer uit te vind.

LitNet: 10 May 2006

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