It is a name that is very tied to ancestral voices. Magical realism in cape towns underbelly the mantle. This first edition to be published outside south africa includes an introduction by shaun viljoen and a special glossary of south african words and phrases from the text translated into english. Sello, his grandfathers name, is, he says, a poetic name and it means lament. This is a new edition of a duiker s explosive debut. Sello duikers short novel, thirteen cents is simultaneously gruesome, violent, deeply disturbing, whimsical, and beautiful. Sello duiker was, before his death in 2005, widely regarded as south africas most promising young writer. Azure, a film adaptation of thirteen cents, kabelo duiker s first novel, explored themes of violence and crime from the perspective of street children in postapartheid cape town. Living in this shadow is azure, a thirteenyearold who makes his living on the streets, a black teenager sought out by white men, beholden to gang leaders but determined to create some measure of independence in this dangerous world. Hes twelve years old, almost thirteen, when we meet him in thirteen cents, hustling with other street urchins, doing anything to survive each day. Cape town, between the picture postcard mountain and sea, has its own shadow. Ohio university press has just released the postapartheid novelists debut book in the us as part of its modern african writing series. I have recently been reading the short but intense canon more aptly described as a cannon of the writings of k sello duiker. Sello duikers thirteen cents an introduction shaun viljoen one breezy night late in november one breezy night late in november and after the april elections two friends stood outside admiring the moon charming sky, said the one to the other whats even more charming is that whitey has finally allowed himself to be surrounded by.
K sello duiker challenged our taboos and spoke truth to our trauma, leaving a lasting effect on the generation to follow. Cape town, between the postcard mountain and sea, has its own shadowside lurking in its lap. Thirteen cents isbn 9780795704925 pdf epub k sello duiker. However, as a literary critic the novel is an excellent piece of work. Sello duiker opens, he has taken to looking after nine yearold bafana, a boy who has run away from home, his life on the streets a drug fueled choice. Nov 30, 2000 kabelo sello duiker s debut novel, thirteen cents won the commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa region. But what future did he imagine for the black child and what possibility of. Nb publishers have shared an excerpt from k sello duikers thirteen cents. The benefit you get by reading this book is actually. He suffered from bipolar syndrome and felt that his joiedevivre was lacking due to his medication. It was after being institutionalised at a psychiatric hospital that he wro.
His varied experiences while living there form the basis of thirteen cents. Thirteen cents is an extraordinary and unsparing account of a coming of age in cape town. At times, i found myself cringing at the graphic depiction of violence throughout the book. Kabelo sello duikers debut novel, thirteen cents won the commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa region. Sello duiker s short novel, thirteen cents is simultaneously gruesome, violent, deeply disturbing, whimsical, and beautiful. His varied experiences while living in cape town form the basis of this book. Enter the accused, that little book by k sello duiker, thirteen cents the book is about a homeless boy, azure, trying to survive on the streets of cape town. Each time i discussed the book with friends and peers, i would stress how depressing the book was. Thirteen cents, his first novel, won the commonwealth writers prize best first book award africa region and has gone on to become a modern south african classic. Jan 19, 2018 azure, a film adaptation of thirteen cents, kabelo duikers first novel, explored themes of violence and crime from the perspective of street children in postapartheid cape town. Told from azures perspective, duiker weaves a narrative that lays bare the violence, exploitation, racial and sexual politics found just under the surface of south african society.
He suffered a nervous breakdown in 2004, prior to committing suicide by hanging himself in january 2005. His second novel, the quiet violence of dreams, won the 2002 herman charles bosman prize. After the fashion of zakes mda, phaswane mpe, mark behr, he ploughs his own furrow in the fictionalization. Racism, tribalism, exploitation, classism, corruption, crime, violence, violation, starvation, and displacement, are still a reality to a black child. Based on personal experiences, thirteen cents is duikers debut novel, originally published in 2000. A black boy with distinct blue eyes azure is ironically the envy of his elders who abuse him endlessly.
Read an excerpt from k sello duikers thirteen cents the. Sello duiker was, before his death in 2005, widely regarded as south africa. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Told from azures perspective, duiker weaves a narrative that lays bare the violence, exploitation, racial and sexual politics. Moreover, i would say it is a prime example of a post postmodern novel, which really investigates human. A year old south african boy turns tricks in cape town in duikers emotional whiplash of a debut novel, available in the us for the first time. This acclaimed book by k sello duiker is available at in several formats for your ereader. The book itself won the commonwealth writers prize for best first book africa region, back in 2001, when it was first published. He is led into a life of prostitution under feared gangster pimp allen. Kabelo sello duiker april 1974 19 january 2005 was a south african novelist. It is written from the perspective of a homeless, twelve year old boy azure, pronounced ahzooray.
His debut novel, new africa books, 2000 won the 2002 thirteen cents commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa region. Duiker was born on april 1974 and grew up in soweto and east london. A novel modern african writing series book is not really ordinary book, you have it then the world is in your hands. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Thirteen cents k sello duiker haftad 9780821420362 bokus. Best sellers todays deals new releases books electronics gift ideas customer service home. Ebook thirteen cents as pdf download portable document format. In the novel thirteen cents duiker paints a vivid and heart wrenching picture of how, in postapartheid south africa, overt and covert marginalization still prevail.
Sello duiker opens, he has taken to looking after nine yearold bafana, a boy who has run away from. He sadly passed away in 2005, a tender 31 year old. I sat quietly after i had finished reading it, deeply moved by everything i had read and in awe of duiker s talent. In 2001 thirteen cents won the commonwealth writers prize for best debut novel in the africa region. Someone who always cries out about things he seeslike injustice. Sello, viljoen, shaun from amazons fiction books store. Every moment is depressing, id say, and the moments that arent depressing are not less depressing because they are in and.
Reminiscent of some of the greatest child narrators in literature, azures voice will stay with the reader long after this short novel is finished. Posted by msphathu on december 7, 2017 december 8, 2017. Feb 06, 2005 with his debut novel, thirteen cents, kabelo sello duiker, who has committed suicide at the age of 30, won the 2001 commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa region. Jun 16, 2012 enter the accused, that little book by k sello duiker, thirteen cents the book is about a homeless boy, azure, trying to survive on the streets of cape town. His debut novel, thirteen cents, won the 2001 commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa region. Nb publishers have shared an excerpt from k sello duiker s thirteen cents. It was after being institutionalised at a psychiatric hospital that he wrote his first novel, thirteen cents, in two months.
Sello duiker was born and raised in soweto, south africa, and went on to study journalism at rhodes university before moving to cape town. He studied at rhodes university and briefly at the university of cape town. It goes without saying that his intention was to create awareness and alert readers to the life of black street children and the struggles thereof. Duiker is to literature what steve biko is to politics, both having died at the tender age of 30 but leaving indelible footprints in our collective memory.
Written in a combination of afrikaans, local dialect, and south african english, thirteen cents is the disturbing story of azure, an orphaned child eking out an existence on the brutal backstreets of cape town. Azure is a 12yearold orphan forced to fend for himself in the streets of cape town following the death of his parents. Sello duiker only completed two novels before committing suicide aged 30 in 2005. Sep 12, 2015 as thirteen cents, the debut novel by k. Buy this book a year old south african boy turns tricks in cape town in duikers emotional whiplash of a debut novel, available in the us for the first time. This book therefore is an extraordinary and unsparing account of the coming of age on the street in cape. His debut novel, thirteen cents new africa books, 2000 won the 2002 commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa region. I sat quietly after i had finished reading it, deeply moved by everything i had read and in awe of duikers talent. It is written from the perspective of a homeless, twelve year old boy azure, pronounced ahzooray, as he tells us, who has to think of himself as a man. He also worked in advertising and as a screenwriter. He also wrote two other novels, the quiet violence of dreams 2001 and the hidden star published posthumously in 2006. Thirteen cents is without doubt the most disturbing book i have read. A novel modern african writing series by duiker, k.
It is always a jarring to read a novel based in a place with which you are familiar. It was published in 2000 to critical acclaim and immediate success in south africa and abroad, winning the 2002 commonwealth writers prize for best first book, africa. He wrote three novels before his suicide at the age of 30, an. An indictment of south africas postapartheid society. Thirteen cents isbn 9780795704925 pdf epub k sello. Sello duiker david philip publishers 2000, 560 pages.
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