Lobola for life
André Brink
Translated by Bester Meyer
Lobola for Life (published in 1962 in Afrikaans as Lobola vir die Lewe) was a ground-breaking addition to African literature. It was considered to be a clean break from past literary traditions. Brink, strongly influenced by Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, uses love, at times with sexual nuances as the starting point for metaphysical enquiry. It then lucidly flows into a metaphysical journey for the archetypical ‘outsider’ to find meaning in an existential complexed reality. It simultaneously invites the reader to do the same. It may turn out to be a ‘non-reality’, even a crisis.
With the 1962 publication, Brink, one of the Sestigers generation of Afrikaans literature, not only established himself as the voice of his people but as a storyteller par excellence. He has a readership in more than 30 languages worldwide, and a lifelong career of literary achievements and international prizes.
Lobola for Life is one of the author’s only novels which had not been translated into English. It is a timeless piece of art which sees Brink set in motion what would become a lifelong revolt against injustice, the Lie and all that threatens freedom. Set against the backdrop of the post-industrial revolution world and its slaves, it reminds us of today’s slavery to information technology.
Could this work possibly provide the answer to the age-old musings of the Id or our identity as a collective?
About the author:
André Brink (29 May 1935 – 6 February 2015) is one of South Africa’s best-known writers. He was one of the key figures in the significant Afrikaans literary movement known as Die Sestigers. These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the erstwhile South African apartheid’s regime and brought Afrikaans literature on par with contemporary English and French trends. More than 20 novels in Afrikaans (and most of them self-translated into English) were given life through his pen. Brink gained international success and has a readership in more than 30 languages worldwide. He was the receiver of numerous literary awards, including the Martin Luther Memorial Prize (1980) and Prix Médicis Estranger (1980) as well as South African prizes (the Hertzog Prize in 2000 and 2001, the CNA Prize in 1965, 1978 and 1982), Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (1982) and Officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1987) and no less than three nominations for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
[Naledi, 2022. Formaat: Sagteband, 213 mm x 137 mm. Bladsye: 150+. R 260.00. ISBN: 9781776172122]