[Brooding Clouds] [By: Mpe, Phaswane] [April, 2008]

by Phaswane Mpe

Brooding Clouds is a posthumous collection of short stories and poems that were written as a prequel to Phaswane Mpe's acclaimed bestseller, Welcome to Our Hillbrow. In these thematically linked stories, we meet the organic roots of the emblematic characters and concerns of the later novel. Written with an expressive simplicity that evokes the rural soul of tiny Tiragalong and its neighboring village of Nobody, Mpe's stories speak out strongly on issues close to his heart. The poems form a tandem narrative that is gritty, topical, observant, and which articulates the dilemmas of inner city living, along with the broader conundrums of Tiragalong, Hillbrow, and South Africa. The Brooding Clouds collection is a gem of creative achievement that stands as a poignant tribute to the tremendous talent of a writer cut down much too soon. [Phaswane Mpe lectured in African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand. Welcome to Our Hillbrow (2001), his only published novel, was shortlisted for the Sanlam Literary Award (2001) and the Sunday Times Literary Award for Fiction (2002). He received a Posthumous South African Literary Award (2007).]

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remarkable series of stories and poems telling from the inside out the tragic experience of inter-twining lives. The work is not perfect - the poems too oblique, the writing sometimes clumsy - but the sensibility of the author mesmerized me.

[James Matsie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece