30 seconds with Khaya Dlanga - Author of 'To Quote Myself', A Memoir

16 May 2016 - 09:26 By Seth Shezi

What do you credit for the success of your book beyond the genius of your writing?I don't think there was genius; I believe it's because people found a story they could identify with. My generation saw themselves on the pages. It's concerning that white people don't buy books by black writers. You rarely find books by black writers on the bestseller lists. If white South Africans aren't interacting with black people, they should at least buy books written by black writers because they will find out about their own country.Your highlights during the festival?Being shortlisted for the Alan Paton Prize and being the only memoir on the list. It is hugely meaningful to me because Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country was the first book my mother gave me . Once I read that , I wanted to read other books. It's the book that made me want to write.Eugene de Kock in attendance?I don't have a problem with it. I had a discussion with one of the writers who asked him to leave. I strongly felt he had every right to be there and we would have learnt a lot more by his presence. One person was able to get closure because he told them where the body of their relative was. Had he not been there, that person wouldn't have found that information. I find it problematic that if FW de Klerk had been there, he would most likely have been given a free pass, yet he was the guy who signed the orders for the killer.What are you working on?Nothing right now, but I would love to write a novel...

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