Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night (Emerging Voices. New International Fiction) [Paperback]

Sindiwe Magona (Author)

Book Description

Series: Emerging Voices. New International Fiction | Publication Date: March 1998

This series is designed to bring to North American readers the once-unheard voices of writers who have achieved wide acclaim at home, but are not recognized beyond the borders of their native lands. With special emphasis on women writers, Interlink's Emerging Voices series publishes the best of the world's contemporary literature in translation or original English.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Both tragic and seemingly inconsequential events are equally important--and equally poetically rendered--in these stories of South African women's lives. This collection is a forceful document of injustices. The voices that emerge are elegant and moving in their simplicity. In the opening story, a woman leaves her mud hut--and her five young children--to flee to the misty mountains beyond her village. She had been awake at night, in despair, considering where their next meal would come from. Her move is incomprehensible--the youngest child is still nursing. Then one comment gives meaning to the whole: "To be a good mother I must leave." Her mother-in-law will take over, she hopes. It is only later that we learn, she has become hired help in a white household to earn money to support her family. Magona is a storyteller centered in her power, convinced of the universal relevance of what she sees. The effect is felt like the strong South African sun, each story's momentum like the pounding of a drum. Deanna Larson-Whiterod --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

After achieving degrees from UNISA and Columbia University, SINDIWE MAGONA started working for the United Nations Organizations in New York where she stayed for nine years. At the end of 2002, Sindiwe finally returned to her home country and now lives in Marina da Gama. She wrote many award winning novels after To My Children’s Children, which includes Forced to Grow, Push-Push and other stories, Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night and Mother to Mother, which has now been made to a major feature film. In April this year, she was awarded with Order of iKhamanga Bronze medal award by the President at the Union Buildings. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566561418
• ISBN-13: 978-1566561419
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,155,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From A Woman's p.ov during South African Apartheid, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night (Emerging Voices. New International Fiction) (Paperback)

This book provides different accounts on the difficulty of being a woman during Apartheid. Many of the stories are of African women who served as servants (very low paying and often demeaning work) to the white families living in a South African society under Apartheid. A few chapters describe the difficulty of being a white woman as well, being treated as second class citizens from their husbands and men. Racial predjudice is the underlying theme and the struggle just to survive day to day life is described in great detail. Children are also represented in this book, the African children's lives were often no better then their parents. This book is easy to read and is a great way to learn more about society during Apartheid.

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars anxious to read, November 30, 2001

By 

anissa cisneros (MARIN CITY,CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night (Emerging Voices. New International Fiction) (Paperback)

I ACTUALLY HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK YET, BUT I DO INTEND TO PURCHASE IT. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I SAW SINDIWE ON THE BOOK CHANNEL FOR THE HARLEM BOOK FAIR I BELIEVE, IT WAS ON VERY LATE SO I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT KNOWING THE FACTS..I WAS CONCENTRATING ON REMEMBERING THE TITLE OF HER BOOK. AND I MUST SAY SHE WAS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN, VERY CHARISMATIC AND FULL OF BEAUTIFUL GLORIOUS LIGHT. HER FIESTYNESS AND HUGE LOVING EYES INSPIRED ME SOMEHOW WITHIN. HER PERSONALITY ALONE ENCOURAGED ME TO BUY THIS BOOK. I WILL WRITE A REVIEW ONCE I READ IT THOUGH :) THANK-YOU ;)