A novella-length fable chronicles the troubled affair between an African chieftain and a white woman left behind by the first European explorers. 15,000 first printing. National ad/promo.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this searing novella, acclaimed South African novelist Brink tells the tragic love story of a Khoikhoi chieftain leader (a nomadic people, the Khoikhoi were derogatorily called "Hottentots" by European colonists) and a white woman left behind by members of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama's crew when they rounded Africa's southern tip in 1498. The romance between T'kama (Big Bird) and the castaway he names Khois (meaning "woman") forms the touching core of an often ribald tale, narrated by the chieftain in lilting prose. T'kama, who learns to mistrust the murderous European invaders, feels terrible pain when a fleet returns and drags off Khois, mother of their infant son--the possibility that she voluntarily abandoned them only compounds his grief. In an introduction, the author relates T'kama's story to that of Adamastor, a giant in Greek mythology who fights the armies of the sea and yearns for the nymph Thetis. Just as Zeus turned Adamastor into a rocky cape, Brink's parable suggests, so have white Europeans punished native Africans. Readers who were wary of tackling Brink's previous novel, An Act of Terror , because of its length, will find this short fable a stunning introduction to his work.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Following An Act of Terror ( LJ 12/91), a study of political agitation in his native South Africa, Brink moves back in time to the first European exploration of Africa. As the story begins, an innocent young tribal leader encounters a strange new creature in a pool. T'kama is immediately taken by the white woman he sees bathing, but she flees screaming to the beach, where Vasco da Gama's men rush to her aid. T'kama, wounded by gunfire, seizes the woman and escapes to the bush. A bloody confrontation develops, but the explorers are eventually forced to abandon the woman. Under her spell, T'kama leads his people on a dangerous inland journey, and they become divided over this strange white outsider. Still, T'kama's love is unrequited until he can make the supreme sacrifice. Presiding over this collision of cultures is the mysterious Adamaster. Interweaving magic and history, this wonderful tale is essential for all collections.
- Brack Stovall, Carrollton P.L., Tx.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Brack Stovall, Carrollton P.L., Tx.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bigbird that never came to rest,
By Christo "montxsuz" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cape of Storms: The First Life of Adamastor/a Story (Hardcover)
The first life of Adamastor is a fable mostly set in the late 15th century about the first meeting between the native people of Southern Africa and the explorers from Europe. It is a tale clothed in the myth of Adamastor, which first appeared in European literature in the 16th century. It is a tale about the main character T'Kamais (bigbird "that never came to rest"), and his relationship with s lost Portuguese woman.What makes this tale different from many other accounts is that the tale is told from the viewpoint of the African Khoikhoin, and not the Portuguese. This makes an interesting contrast to "Verkenning" of Karel Schoeman (see my review). Verkenning describes (in historical detail) the exploration of Southern Africa from a Dutch explorer's point of view (set a couple of centuries after Adamastor). This book is written with Brink's subtle sense of humour never far from the surface. However, the story has a very sad undertone - the misunderstanding between different peoples with different cultures and their different belief systems and mythologies. Easy to read and enjoyable, Adamastor is highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy story about South Africa's beginning,
By
This review is from: Cape of Storms: The First Life of Adamastor/a Story (Hardcover)
This book is a fast and easy read but I think it gives a nice perspective into how the KhoiKhoi people reacted when they first saw the white Europeans on their beaches, coming out of eggs.
In this novella a white woman is captured but ends up with a KhoiKhoi leader while they are on a trek through the country. It is a nice story about the two different cultures. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny but a nice read.
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