The Rich Man of Pietermaritzburg [Paperback]

Sibusiso Nyembezi (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0955233992 | ISBN-13: 978-0955233999 | Publication Date: April 1, 2008 | Edition: First Edition

Translated for the first time from Africa's native Zulu language, this novel set in apartheid-era rural South Africa follows an urban swindler as he attempts to take advantage of well-meaning but naive villagers, claiming to be on a mission of salvation—but in truth looking for instant riches. Both hilarious and tender, it explores the fateful confrontation between pastoral benevolence and urban slyness in a peasant countryside that is being destroyed by the rapid loss of land and liberties.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Published in Zulu in 1961, this recently translated novel should resonate with teens. With colorful storytelling reflecting humor, warmth, and compassion; well-developed characters and sense of place; masterful bantering and bickering; and often hilarious dialogue, the book offers a truly wonderful portrayal of the human condition and the bonds that hold us. A stranger from the city comes to a rural South African village claiming he is a benefactor on a mission to save the people in this traditional, pastoral place from a life of poverty and ignorance. In an attempt to elevate his status in the tribe's eyes, the black Ndebenkulu brags that in the city "whites call me an esquire." This pompous stranger soon manages to divide and disrupt the entire clan. Latching onto the humble and honest farmer Mkhwanazi, he insinuates himself into the man's life to the dismay of the farmer's teenage children and wife, who suspect from the get-go that this bombastic intruder is not at all what he claims to be. This cleverly rendered "boo-and-hiss" villain will leave the audience squirming in their seats as he twists his evil mustache and blatantly lies his way into the lives of this village. Finally, with the help of the tribal chief, Mkhwanazi's children devise a plan to out-con the con. Classism, racism, and encroaching capitalism are keenly represented in this touching, endearing, and sadly prescient tale.—Jodi Mitchell, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Published in Zulu more than 50 years ago and voted one of Africa’s best books of the twentieth century, this novel is pure farce about what happens when a stranger comes to town. Mr. C. C. Ndebenkulu, Esq., says he is a very busy city man, well informed, well traveled, and used to doing business with the white owners of abattoirs and butcheries, who never address him without calling him “Esquire.” Out of pure benevolence he has come to help the rural community in Natal, South Africa, sell their cattle for very good money before it is too late. Lured by flattery and greed, many fall for his offer. But not all are tricked. The educated young people and many women laugh at his self-importance and see right through him. Of course, the reader always knows it is a scam; but the angry confrontations are hilarious, especially when the slimy con artist gets his due. --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Aflame Books; First Edition edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0955233992
• ISBN-13: 978-0955233999
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,861,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.