The Unexploded Boer

by Erich Rautenbach

Erich Rautenbach’s autobiographical account concerns a few years in his life in South Africa immediately after he left school in the early 1970s. Ignoring his call-up for national service, Erich begins a wandering existence as a marijuana dealer, drifting between his supplier in KwaZulu and his outlets in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Eventually he is apprehended, and after a time in John Vorster Square and The Fort in Johannesburg, he is sent to Sterkfontein Sanatorium for 28 days’ observation and testing to determine his sanity. But Erich has other ideas and plans to escape.

This book recreates the subculture of Johannesburg and Cape Town and provides a commentary on the paranoia and neurosis of the apartheid state. The particular value of this story is in the way it is told. In its zany, unconventional way of reporting on reality, it is reminiscent of the American Beat Generation of the 1950s.

241 pages, Paperback

First published July 27, 2011

Reviews

[Bev Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, well written perspective on a difficult era in South Africa.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, this is about a fatherless child. Although interesting, the core of the story tends to get lost, and by the end, completely wanders off into philosophical nothingness. I wanted more details, more focus on events and story lines, I wanted to know "where are they now". I didn't understand when the author left on a boat, where he was going, what he was going to do and what happened next. No idea. Nothing to connect us to the present either, except the short author bio.

While I appreciate the use of words in afrikaans and other languages, I felt the translation could have been placed in the text, or in footnotes, rather then in a glossary. There were two sections at the back (translations, and glossary), and sometimes I would have to look in both places before I found what I was looking for, which usually was just swearing or slang for ganja, and not crucial to the text.

My biggest complaint was the ending. There was none.

[Patrick Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part autobiography, part stream of consciousness. The book plots the mad life of the author as a drug selling hippy including his experiences in police holding cells and a psychiatric hospital. It is very densely written and comes across mainly an effort to come to terms with his childhood. He might do this, but he is always comes back to blame his life on the fact that his father left when he was young, his family were poor, apartheid kept him from people he wanted to hang out with, he was avoiding conscription etc... However, it does give an interesting insight into 1970's South Africa. A friend of mine is the author's cousin and she lent the book to me. Most likely would not have read it otherwise, but it is definitely not the worst book I have ever read.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book at first but by the end I found the author to be rather immature and completely unwilling to take any responsibility for his actions. Always playing the victim and his defense for his motives against the state were a bit laughable.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just met the author at a local art/music launch. Very interesting talk