Newly published by altoviolet and Dye Hard Press: The Fall by Hans Pienaar

Dedalus decides to flee South Africa but his plane crashes somewhere else on the continent. He miraculously survives but is taken captive by a militia whom he believes wants to kill him. Making promises to use his skills to help them, he gets involved in the politics and religious cravings of the local community. They allow him to design a series of gods to meet the needs they appear to have.

Hans Pienaar’s first collection of poems in English tends towards a novel in verse, or a draft for a Netflix series in poems, if you will. Told in many styles and voices, it is an attempt to distill his experiences while travelling in the rest of Africa as foreign correspondent for a newspaper group. There is a lot of humour, but also deadly earnest in the meeting of Greek mythology and a people run down by colonialism and modernity, and of course, things do not go according to plan. Whether it ends on a pessimistic or optimistic note probably depends on the reader.

Pienaar is an award-winning writer of mainly Afrikaans novels, plays and poetry who lives in the Western Cape. His latest poetry collection, Seisoene op Parool (Seasons on Parole) was published by Protea Books in January 2021, and it will also release his latest novel, Kaap, in February 2022.

The Fall can be ordered from the author at mwhanspi@gmail.com for R350, postage included (by South African post office), or you can order an e-book version for free. If you want the book couriered to you, speak to the author.

140 pages.

ISBN: 978-0-9947231-1-6 print

ISBN: 978-0-9947231-2-3 e-book

 

Under my skin

 

Under the blue moon

 

Outside the cave in Leicester

Well, the new year is certainly starting with some good news --  Outside the cave and Thunder on the highway have now reached poet and publisher Adrian Manning in Leicester, England! It's great news that outgoing international mail is finally reaching its destination - without needing the expensive services of couriers! Now I am just hoping that incoming internal mail will start coming through.

Outside the cave in France again

This morning Benoit Delaune in France received his copies of Outside the cave and Thunder on the highway by Gary Cummiskey and published by Dye Hard Press.

Casting the eye of the mind

 

In the beginning of the womb

 

Claro!

 

Same here to you

 

Age of miracles and wonder - international mail received via the South African Post Office

 

Well, this is certainly the age of miracles and wonder, especially when you finally get international mail delivered via the South African Post Office, and it comes from Henry Denander, poet, publisher and master watercolourist. Thank you, Hank!

The Difficulty of Being - a collage by Bruno Sourdin

A collage titled The Difficulty of Being, by French poet and collagist Bruno Sourdin.
 

The empty horse will fill in the blanks

 

Just THREE copies left of The cactus of a bright sky

There are now just THREE copies left of Alan Finlay's chapbook The cactus of a bright sky, published by Dye Hard Press.

The cost for South Africa, including courier delivery to your door, is R140. For overseas mail, the cost will depend on your destination.

Please send an email to dyehardpress@iafrica.com.

Five poems published in Sulfur, 'Surrealist Jungle'

 In a bumper month or so, I now have had five poems published in the online journal Sulfur, 'Surrealist Jungle'.

Sulfur is published by the Egyptian and North African surrealist group.

The five poems are:

Out on the street

Snap

Cardboard kings

Still now

Nowhere rooms

and they can be read here.

Two poems published in BKO magazine

I have had two poems - 'Out of it in Athens' and 'At the stone wall' published in the latest issue of BKO magazine, which is a special edition focused on South African poet Don Mattera.

Looking on yesterday