The Heart of Redness
May 2007 · Macmillan + ORM
3.7star
3 reviewsreport
eBook
290
Pages
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About this eBook
A South African man returns to a divided village in pursuit of lust, redemption, and identity in this “humorous, mythic, and complicated novel” (San Francisco Chronicle).
Having left for America during apartheid, Camugu has now returned to Johannesburg. Disillusioned by the problems of the new democracy, he follows his “famous lust” to Qolorha on the remote Eastern Cape. There in the nineteenth century a teenage prophetess named Nonqawuse commanded the Xhosa people to kill their cattle and burn their crops, promising that once they did so the spirits of their ancestors would rise and drive the occupying English into the ocean. The failed prophecy split the people in two, with devastating consequences.
One hundred fifty years later, the two groups’ decedents are at odds over plans to build a vast casino and tourist resort in the village, and Camugu is soon drawn into their heritage and their future—and into a bizarre love triangle as well.
“Brilliant . . . A new kind of novel: one that combines Gabriel García Márquez’s magic realism and political astuteness with satire, social realism and a critical reexamination of the South African past.” —The New York Times Book Review
Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize
A New York Times Notable Book
Having left for America during apartheid, Camugu has now returned to Johannesburg. Disillusioned by the problems of the new democracy, he follows his “famous lust” to Qolorha on the remote Eastern Cape. There in the nineteenth century a teenage prophetess named Nonqawuse commanded the Xhosa people to kill their cattle and burn their crops, promising that once they did so the spirits of their ancestors would rise and drive the occupying English into the ocean. The failed prophecy split the people in two, with devastating consequences.
One hundred fifty years later, the two groups’ decedents are at odds over plans to build a vast casino and tourist resort in the village, and Camugu is soon drawn into their heritage and their future—and into a bizarre love triangle as well.
“Brilliant . . . A new kind of novel: one that combines Gabriel García Márquez’s magic realism and political astuteness with satire, social realism and a critical reexamination of the South African past.” —The New York Times Book Review
Shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize
A New York Times Notable Book
Ratings and reviews
3.7
3 reviews
Mitch
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2 April 2014
I am thoroughly disappointed in this book. I had to read this for a college literary criticism class and I can say that it is one of the worst books I have ever read. I was holding on for some hope but when Camagu ejaculate s in his pants, twice, I was lost. Mda is not my favorite writer and this book only solidifies my idea. The ending of this book left me with even more questions. I grew to despise every side of the argument between the believers and unbelievers. Would not read again...
Delon le Roux
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11 October 2017
I studied this as a college requirement as it relates to Joseph Conrad's "The Heart of Darkness" I prefer this as it is a much more richly descriptive and balanced portrayal of African culture in comparison to the racist and insensitive portrayal of the 'uncivilized' 'savage' Continent' in Conrad's Darkness.
About the author
Zakes Mda, a novelist and playwright, has received every major South African prize for his work. Born in 1948, he has been a visiting professor at Yale and the University of Vermont. He is writer-in-residence at the Market Theatre, Johannesburg. His previous novel, Ways of Dying, is available from Picador.
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