Rooikraal Revisited
Rooikraal
Revisited: Farming During Apartheid
Short Stories by Dylan
Weston
Published by Writers Club Press, 2000
ISBN
0-595-09180-6 PRICE: $10.95 U.S.
£7.46 U.K.
in
US in
UK
Rooikraal
Revisited: Farming During Apartheid is an autobiographical and
nostalgic study of a life left behind. Dylan Weston lived on a dairy farm,
Rooikraal, during the Apartheid regime and this collection documents the
people, places, interests, and recollections of life in rural South
Africa. The bitterness of Apartheid, its inhumanity, is shown - but
also the good will of the common folk who shared their lives on these
"islands of civilisation" known as farms is appreciated and
enjoyed.
Some of the stories tell of the political impact on the lives of common
people, while others tell of human suffering and superstition. Several
stories describe adventures with animals - farm animals generally, but
also the great serpent the Rinkhals. The stories are all true and the
experiences real
About the Author.
Though Dylan Weston now
lives in California, the colourful and often humorous stories she has written
in this collection come out of her direct experience of life on two farms
in South Africa during the Apartheid years. They are
interesting not only for the characters and situations they describe, but
for the light they shed on an historical era now forever (many will say
thankfully!) consigned to the past.
Click here to read one of the stories from Rooikraal Revisited.
Click here to read reviews of Rooikraal Revisited.
Rooikraal Revisited may be ordered from the following on-line bookstores:
Synopsis
The short story collection by Dylan
Weston (entitled: Rooikraal Revisited: Farming During
Apartheid) is an autobiographical and nostalgic study in a
life left behind. She lived on a dairy farm, Rooikraal, during the
Apartheid regime and this collection documents the people, places,
interests, and recollections of life
in rural South Africa. The bitterness of Apartheid, its inhumanity, is
shown - but also the good will of the common folk who shared their
lives on these "islands of civilisation" known as farms is
appreciated and enjoyed.
Some of the stories tell of the political impact on the lives of common
people, while others tell of human suffering and superstition. Several
stories describe adventures with animals - farm animals generally, but
also the great serpent the Rinkhals. The stories are all true and the
experiences real.
This is a period of South African life under white domination which
has been swept away, and yet on seeing the destruction not of a political
system but a thriving community - Rooikraal - great nostalgia fills the
author. The people she knew and loved are gone. There are few traces of
their lives and the sense of community, once present, left on Rooikraal.
The lesson of life, which she learns, is that one can never return to the
land of yore; it lives only in the heart and memory - where in the
retelling it seems to gain a sense of reality.
The following review of Rooikraal Revisited has appeared in Amazon.com:
Move
over, Isak Dinesen
Rooikraal Revisited is a poignant account of the author's life on a farm in Africa during Apartheid. Always vivid, often touching, and sometimes disturbing, Weston's stories introduce us to the colorful characters - both black and white - who were part of her experience, detail events in that unique time and culture, and share some valuable insights regarding racism, humanity, and the passage of time. Particularly haunting is the story entitled "Elizabeth's Potato; " I read this some time ago and still can't get it out of my head. The only criticism I have about the collection is that I wanted some of the stories to be longer; I wanted to know more
The
following review of
Rooikraal Revisited has appeared in Barnes & Noble:
M Emami (Emami505@cs.com),
a fan of Dylan's work., June 19, 2000,
Number of Reviews: 1
Average Rating: 
What a great read!
This book is a great read! Entertaining, interesting & very warm! What
an interesting time captured so eloquently. I can't wait for Dylan Weston
to get some more of her work out there!
