Bitter Eden is based on Tatamkhulu Afrika's own capture in North Africa and his experiences as a prisoner-of-war in World War II in Italy and Germany. Winner of the Olive Schreiner Prize for a new or emerged talent.
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"A fervent account of repressed passion in POW camps." —Michael Arditti, Times
"An extraordinarily powerful novel . . . it reads like an epic prose poem—or a deathbed confession" —Mark Simpson, Independent on Sunday
About the Author
<DIV>Tatamkhulu Afrika is the author of Broken Earth, Mr. Chameleon, and Nothing's Changed.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling story of loyalty,
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This review is from: Bitter Eden (Paperback)
Young South African soldier Tom Smith (Thomas Aloysius Smythe) is a prisoner of war initially taken by the Italians. At his capture a fellow prisoner, the rather prissy Douglas, latches on to him and takes an almost motherly interest in him. But later when a new prisoner, Danny, takes an interest in Tom, conflicts of loyalty arise. But that is just the first of many conflicts the men will encounter during their imprisonment.
Bitter Eden is a story about the relationships between men who while they consider themselves straight, face the conflicting emotions that result from being closely confined under the most difficult conditions. When men build such close friendships, so close that they come to depend upon each other for day to day survival, for the closeness of shared body heat through freezing nights, it inevitably leads to confusions which can be betrayed by the bodies own natural responses. It is this confusion that is so convincingly portrayed that forms the backbone of the story. The friendship that develops between Tom and Danny is fraught with problems, but it is based a deep bond of loyalty, and although not named, love. Tatamkhulu Afrika wrote Bitter Eden when eighty years old, his first novel, yet is has a freshness and originality, both in the nature of the story in the remarkable telling. It is a most compelling read, vividly depicting some of the horrors suffered by prisoners of World War II, rich in emotion, at times heart rending. It is a story that will leave the reader much to contemplate, not least the enigmatic conclusion.
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First Sentence:
I touch the scar on my cheek and it flinches as though the long-dead tissue had a Lazarus-life of its own. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Red Cross, Toni Smith, Tom Smith New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
I touch the scar on my cheek and it flinches as though the long-dead tissue had a Lazarus-life of its own. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Red Cross, Toni Smith, Tom Smith New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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