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Philida
This is what it is to be a slave: that everything is decided for you from out there. You just got to listen and do as they tell you. You don't say no. You don't ask questions. You just do what they tell you. But far at the back of your head you think: Soon there must come a day when I can say for myself: This and that I shall do, this and that I shall not.
It is 1832 in South Africa, the year before slavery is abolished and the slaves are emancipated. Philida is the mother of four children by Francois Brink, the son of her master. When Francois's father orders him to marry a woman from a prominent Cape Town family, Francois reneges on his promise to give Philida her freedom, threatening instead to sell her to new owners in the harsh country up north.
Here is the remarkable story - based on individuals connected to the author's family - of a fiercely independent woman who will settle for nothing and for no one. Unwilling to accept the future that lies ahead of her, Philida continues to test the limits and lodges a complaint against the Brink family. Then she sets off on a journey - from the southernmost reaches of the Cape, across a great wilderness, to the far north of the country - in order to reclaim her soul.
It is 1832 in South Africa, the year before slavery is abolished and the slaves are emancipated. Philida is the mother of four children by Francois Brink, the son of her master. When Francois's father orders him to marry a woman from a prominent Cape Town family, Francois reneges on his promise to give Philida her freedom, threatening instead to sell her to new owners in the harsh country up north.
Here is the remarkable story - based on individuals connected to the author's family - of a fiercely independent woman who will settle for nothing and for no one. Unwilling to accept the future that lies ahead of her, Philida continues to test the limits and lodges a complaint against the Brink family. Then she sets off on a journey - from the southernmost reaches of the Cape, across a great wilderness, to the far north of the country - in order to reclaim her soul.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
82 people are currently reading
2807 people want to read
About the author
André Brink
116 books259 followersAndré Philippus Brink was a South African novelist. He wrote in Afrikaans and English and was until his retirement a Professor of English Literature at the University of Cape Town.
In the 1960s, he and Breyten Breytenbach were key figures in the Afrikaans literary movement known as Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into Afrikaans literature the influence of contemporary English and French trends. His novel Kennis van die aand (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.
Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy. His final works engaged new issues raised by life in postapartheid South Africa.
In the 1960s, he and Breyten Breytenbach were key figures in the Afrikaans literary movement known as Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into Afrikaans literature the influence of contemporary English and French trends. His novel Kennis van die aand (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.
Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy. His final works engaged new issues raised by life in postapartheid South Africa.
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June 4, 2020
i have finally read an andre brink novel! hooray! and reading the afterword, it seems that this book contains characters, real people or imaginary, from his other books, which really just whets my appetite for more brink, because i have a bunch here, but without the "gotta read this or i will disappoint the netgalley folks" push, who knows how long i would have gone without enjoying him? and this brings my "books i have read about south africa" tally up to...three, along with Mafeking Road: and Other Stories and Time of the Butcherbird. so that's another oversight to address in the new year.
this is a quasi-autobiographical, or at least ancestral-biographical, which i'm sure there is a better word for, novel about the brink family and their slaves, one of whom is named philida. it takes place in 1834, just before the slaves were emancipated in the cape colony, and details the convoluted nature of the baas-slave relationship, their interminglings, and the process of leaving behind a slave's life, and finding selfhood in the aftermath.
philida narrates most of this book. she is a slave woman owned by the brink family, and she has two surviving (from four) children by frans, the son of her owner cornelis. frans has promised to give her her freedom and go and live with her and their children, but his family intervenes and tells him he must marry a woman of their choosing whose resources and power are the only way to save their farm. philida gets wind of this, and goes to file a complaint at the office of the slave protector. it is a very uncomfortable interview, and when frans is called to respond to her accusations, he betrays her once more.
philida realizes for the first time how untenable her situation is, and how limited her options.
and later:
after philida's public accusation and the perceived embarrassment, her presence at the brinks' becomes uncomfortable for all parties, and she and her children are sold at auction. this is all taking place when the steps are being taken to emancipate the slaves, and there is so much instability resulting from these decisions, in terms of the slaveowner's fears about the future of their farms, and the unwillingness to buy slaves that are going to become "useless" to their owners shortly. all is turmoil.
but in the midst of this turmoil, brink manages to write something that is both horrifying and also deeply funny. most of the horrifying stuff comes from cornelis, and his insufferable righteousness despite his immoral intentions and his own secret origins:
he is allowed a single moment of character-redemption, at the slave auction, but it is still easy to dislike him. trust me.
the humor is mostly in the shape of ouma nella, who is a free woman who acts as a mother-figure to philida. and she is astonishingly good. as a free woman, she does not have anything to fear from cornelis, but she is also a realist, and looks out for philida's interests. philida herself is also very cheeky, and has a good sense of humor despite of, or because of, her situation, but ouma nella, who does not have to worry about her future, is a strong rock of a character you wish you had in your life, for tough love and advice.
frans... he is complicated. i don't really want to go into his character much here, because i fear i would spoil, but that one left me all conflicted inside. mostly conflicted-angry, but also conflicted-sympathetic.
philida is a fantastic book that really clarifies the slavery situation in south africa. it is nowhere near as brutal as The Book of Night Women about the jamaican slave trade, but for a sheltered american like myself, it is really eye-opening to read about slavery outside of the american south, despite also making me feel quite ill.
and - ooh - it is available as a firstreads book! try to win it!
come to my blog!
this is a quasi-autobiographical, or at least ancestral-biographical, which i'm sure there is a better word for, novel about the brink family and their slaves, one of whom is named philida. it takes place in 1834, just before the slaves were emancipated in the cape colony, and details the convoluted nature of the baas-slave relationship, their interminglings, and the process of leaving behind a slave's life, and finding selfhood in the aftermath.
philida narrates most of this book. she is a slave woman owned by the brink family, and she has two surviving (from four) children by frans, the son of her owner cornelis. frans has promised to give her her freedom and go and live with her and their children, but his family intervenes and tells him he must marry a woman of their choosing whose resources and power are the only way to save their farm. philida gets wind of this, and goes to file a complaint at the office of the slave protector. it is a very uncomfortable interview, and when frans is called to respond to her accusations, he betrays her once more.
philida realizes for the first time how untenable her situation is, and how limited her options.
What Frans say. That thing he say that really make me know for the first time what he is and what I am. I am a slave. He is not. And that's all. Nothing else matter, not ever. A slave. That is not because of the beatings or the work, it is not being hungry or cold when the snow lie white on the earth, or to feel myself dying in the heat of the summer sun when I cannot lie down in the shadow of the Baas's longhouse, it isn't the pain or the tiredness or having to lie down when Frans - Baas Frans - want to naai me. It isn't any of this that make me a slave. No. Being a slave, like I was today in that white office in Drostdy, with all the papers and the buzzing flies around me, mean always going back to the place they tell me to go back to. Not because I want to be there, but because they tell me to. I am never the one to decide where to go and when to go. It's always they, it's always somebody else. Never I.
and later:
...today I know for the first time ever that even this place, where I live, is no longer mine as I always thought. I no longer belong here. I belong nowhere. What happen to me will always be what others want to happen. I am a piece of knitting that is knitted by somebody else.
after philida's public accusation and the perceived embarrassment, her presence at the brinks' becomes uncomfortable for all parties, and she and her children are sold at auction. this is all taking place when the steps are being taken to emancipate the slaves, and there is so much instability resulting from these decisions, in terms of the slaveowner's fears about the future of their farms, and the unwillingness to buy slaves that are going to become "useless" to their owners shortly. all is turmoil.
but in the midst of this turmoil, brink manages to write something that is both horrifying and also deeply funny. most of the horrifying stuff comes from cornelis, and his insufferable righteousness despite his immoral intentions and his own secret origins:
Frans told the Protector, a man called Lindenberg, about the two slave youths that had been with Philida and that, he said, was how the man recorded it. This is all that matters in the end: that it was recorded. One day in the future, when no one of us is still around, that is all the world will know, and all that needs to be known. We came to this land white, and white we shall be on the Day of Judgement, so help me God. If anybody is still in doubt, I always tell them: Just follow the coast up to the Sandveld, then you will see with your own eyes how we whored the whole West Coast white. God put us here with a purpose, and we keep very strictly to his Word. For ever and bloody ever, amen. Do we understand each other?
he is allowed a single moment of character-redemption, at the slave auction, but it is still easy to dislike him. trust me.
the humor is mostly in the shape of ouma nella, who is a free woman who acts as a mother-figure to philida. and she is astonishingly good. as a free woman, she does not have anything to fear from cornelis, but she is also a realist, and looks out for philida's interests. philida herself is also very cheeky, and has a good sense of humor despite of, or because of, her situation, but ouma nella, who does not have to worry about her future, is a strong rock of a character you wish you had in your life, for tough love and advice.
frans... he is complicated. i don't really want to go into his character much here, because i fear i would spoil, but that one left me all conflicted inside. mostly conflicted-angry, but also conflicted-sympathetic.
philida is a fantastic book that really clarifies the slavery situation in south africa. it is nowhere near as brutal as The Book of Night Women about the jamaican slave trade, but for a sheltered american like myself, it is really eye-opening to read about slavery outside of the american south, despite also making me feel quite ill.
You better watch out, say Labyn. For these four years and all the other years that still lie ahead. Remember, a man can only step as far as his legs are long. And they keeping our legs short. You forget one thing, I say. We can jump. And I'm not going to step carefully if i know I can jump. Remember, I wearing shoes now.
and - ooh - it is available as a firstreads book! try to win it!
come to my blog!
Read
June 13, 2017I was very interested to read this book because André Brink’s is a name I had heard mentioned on and off over the last thirty years although I’d never opened one of his books in all that time. My scant knowledge of South Africa comes from the other South African authors I’ve read, people like Alan Paton and Donald Woods during the Apartheid period, and later, Nadine Gordimer and J M Coetzee along with, more recently, Damon Galgut. Of these, as far as I know, Coetzee is the only one who shares Brink’s Afrikaner heritage. But Brink, unlike Coetzee actually writes in Afrikaans as well as English. And while the others all wrote about the times they themselves lived in, Brink is prepared to examine a period in South Africa's past of about two hundred years ago. This I found really interesting, that I might get a rare glimpse of the Afrikaner world of the nineteenth century. The book is set in the 1830’s around the time of the British led initiative to emancipate all the slaves of the region but also at a time when the Afrikaners still believed that certain peoples were born to be slaves and that the Bible backed them entirely on this point (another example from world history of the ‘God is on our side’ fallacy which still pertains in many places today). Brink has shown himself to be brave in tackling this ignominious episode in Afrikaner history and examining the kind of thinking which led eventually to the apartheid system.
He has done his research well too; there was never a moment when the details of the period didn’t ring true. In his afterword, he explains that he had access, through the present-day owners of a vineyard near Worcester, to papers dating back to the time in the early 1800’s when the vineyard, called Zandvliet, was owned by relatives of his own family, Cornelis Brink and his son, Frans. So we realise right from the beginning, when we hear the Brink name, that this is more than fiction, that the story he tells us has a basis in fact, and that certain details are on record. Philida really existed, and although much of what Brink recounts is fictional, there is a definite factual framework behind this account of Philida’s life: she was born in c. 1810 and she lived at Zandvliet until 1832.
Brink begins Philida’s story with a fine image, the brave and perhaps unprecedented journey which she makes, bare-foot, with one of her children strapped on her back, to the regional magistrate in 1832 to set out a complaint against her owners at Zandvliet. The record of this encounter still exists. The subsequent story which Brink grafts onto the original facts, continues the journey theme as Philida strives to become a free person, not only with regard to the law but also inside her own head. The real Philida, the knitting girl of the Zandvliet household, must have been a truly remarkable woman and it was a privilege to read her story.
I had a few reservations about the narrative choices Brink made in this book. He shifts between various first person voices in the first half and, while Philida’s is mostly credible, Cornelis Brink’s and his son Frans’s are less so. In fact, they not only aren’t credible, there seemed to be no logic or consistency to their reasoning. Later, the book changes to a third person narrative and ends with Philida’s voice again. These shifts are distracting and it would have suited me better to have stayed with Philida’s voice the whole way through.
Brink also overdoes the knitting metaphor; at every opportunity there is mention of wool, of colours and patterns, of dropping stitches and unravelling, etc, until the reader has had too much and the metaphor loses its initial strength.
The other reservation I had concerned Brink's account of the slaves and their culture. Most of them were first generation Javanese, imported by the Dutch from their colonies. And yet Brink describes how these first generation slaves, some of whom remember their journey from Batavia (Jakarta), have really strong links with the land of south Africa, with the local myths and legends, even with the ancient carvings on the rocks of the nearby mountain range. I needed to hear more about their own homeland in their stories, I would have found such tales more meaningful. It is possible that Brink intended these stories to be original Javanese legends which the slaves had transposed to South Africa but it seemed impossible to me that that would have happened in the space of one generation.
He has done his research well too; there was never a moment when the details of the period didn’t ring true. In his afterword, he explains that he had access, through the present-day owners of a vineyard near Worcester, to papers dating back to the time in the early 1800’s when the vineyard, called Zandvliet, was owned by relatives of his own family, Cornelis Brink and his son, Frans. So we realise right from the beginning, when we hear the Brink name, that this is more than fiction, that the story he tells us has a basis in fact, and that certain details are on record. Philida really existed, and although much of what Brink recounts is fictional, there is a definite factual framework behind this account of Philida’s life: she was born in c. 1810 and she lived at Zandvliet until 1832.
Brink begins Philida’s story with a fine image, the brave and perhaps unprecedented journey which she makes, bare-foot, with one of her children strapped on her back, to the regional magistrate in 1832 to set out a complaint against her owners at Zandvliet. The record of this encounter still exists. The subsequent story which Brink grafts onto the original facts, continues the journey theme as Philida strives to become a free person, not only with regard to the law but also inside her own head. The real Philida, the knitting girl of the Zandvliet household, must have been a truly remarkable woman and it was a privilege to read her story.
I had a few reservations about the narrative choices Brink made in this book. He shifts between various first person voices in the first half and, while Philida’s is mostly credible, Cornelis Brink’s and his son Frans’s are less so. In fact, they not only aren’t credible, there seemed to be no logic or consistency to their reasoning. Later, the book changes to a third person narrative and ends with Philida’s voice again. These shifts are distracting and it would have suited me better to have stayed with Philida’s voice the whole way through.
Brink also overdoes the knitting metaphor; at every opportunity there is mention of wool, of colours and patterns, of dropping stitches and unravelling, etc, until the reader has had too much and the metaphor loses its initial strength.
The other reservation I had concerned Brink's account of the slaves and their culture. Most of them were first generation Javanese, imported by the Dutch from their colonies. And yet Brink describes how these first generation slaves, some of whom remember their journey from Batavia (Jakarta), have really strong links with the land of south Africa, with the local myths and legends, even with the ancient carvings on the rocks of the nearby mountain range. I needed to hear more about their own homeland in their stories, I would have found such tales more meaningful. It is possible that Brink intended these stories to be original Javanese legends which the slaves had transposed to South Africa but it seemed impossible to me that that would have happened in the space of one generation.
February 5, 2013
Call me …...
Opening sentences. They can make you hurry to find your credit card or reshelf the book in disgust. They can set a tone or, like Fate knocking on a door, resonate throughout history. Sometimes, like Melville’s opener quoted above, three notes suffice. So too here, in Philida, where Andre Brink takes us to 1834, the year before slavery was abolished in South Africa, with three words sufficient to caution that the transition will not be clean:
Here come shit.
And indeed it does.
Brink, a prolific author, has tackled the issues of slavery and apartheid in South Africa often, with brilliance and artistry. Looking on Darkness, a personal favorite, opens with another great first sentence: To know who I am. What follows are Shakespearean themes: Brink wrenching truth from South African soil and his own tortured soul.
You see, Brink’s family was no mere bystander. They owned slaves, with all that that means. And in 19th century South Africa, that meant brutal, forcible rape, as an entitlement, with Biblical justifications. So, his family, and Brink himself, is racially mixed. But what Brink had inherited more than DNA is guilt. It defines his writing. He explored this before in Act of Terror, a massive book (and underbook) which could not be put down.
Philida is different, a novel as historical memoir. He hasn’t even changed the names. The pivotal white family is the Brinks. And Philida is their slave girl. Brink paints her as heroic and confrontational. Proud. Brink’s point, Philida’s point, is that you cannot make me a victim; only I can let you do that. And, you cannot free me; only I can free me.
So, in Philida, Brink shows us all the depravity. But given the mixture he feels, his tale is one of guilt; but also of doubt, and also of pride.
That said, Philida was not the artistic work that his earliest efforts were. It was a wonderful story, important in its own way. It just seemed a little hurried to me, the ending a drawn out meditation instead of a denouement.
Opening sentences. They can make you hurry to find your credit card or reshelf the book in disgust. They can set a tone or, like Fate knocking on a door, resonate throughout history. Sometimes, like Melville’s opener quoted above, three notes suffice. So too here, in Philida, where Andre Brink takes us to 1834, the year before slavery was abolished in South Africa, with three words sufficient to caution that the transition will not be clean:
Here come shit.
And indeed it does.
Brink, a prolific author, has tackled the issues of slavery and apartheid in South Africa often, with brilliance and artistry. Looking on Darkness, a personal favorite, opens with another great first sentence: To know who I am. What follows are Shakespearean themes: Brink wrenching truth from South African soil and his own tortured soul.
You see, Brink’s family was no mere bystander. They owned slaves, with all that that means. And in 19th century South Africa, that meant brutal, forcible rape, as an entitlement, with Biblical justifications. So, his family, and Brink himself, is racially mixed. But what Brink had inherited more than DNA is guilt. It defines his writing. He explored this before in Act of Terror, a massive book (and underbook) which could not be put down.
Philida is different, a novel as historical memoir. He hasn’t even changed the names. The pivotal white family is the Brinks. And Philida is their slave girl. Brink paints her as heroic and confrontational. Proud. Brink’s point, Philida’s point, is that you cannot make me a victim; only I can let you do that. And, you cannot free me; only I can free me.
So, in Philida, Brink shows us all the depravity. But given the mixture he feels, his tale is one of guilt; but also of doubt, and also of pride.
That said, Philida was not the artistic work that his earliest efforts were. It was a wonderful story, important in its own way. It just seemed a little hurried to me, the ending a drawn out meditation instead of a denouement.
September 12, 2014
I was worried that Philida would be similar to Brink's books published over the last few years, which all felt like thinly disguised memoirs, and did not impress me. I am happy to say this historic novel is definitely one of his best. I read the afrikaans version, and I delighted in his magic with words (when creating new, or just using very unusual combinations). The story about slavery in the 1800's is stirring and very sad. Philida is a strong and compassionate woman, and I really wish we could have more female characters like her. If you are not familiar with Brink's work, he calls a spade a spade and does not shy away from uncomfortable subjects. So not for the faint hearted, but highly recommended.
March 12, 2021
This book gained André Brink his last Booker longlisting in 2012, 34 years after his last shortlisting for Rumours Of Rain. He is a fine writer who deserves better. Like An Instant in the Wind, this is a historical novel which takes contemporary sources as its starting point, and imagines the lives described by these bare bones documents.
This one is set in the early 19th century, against the backdrop of the introduction of a law banning slavery. Philida is a slave girl born in the Cape (Caab in the Afrikaner spelling used here). She works on a farm that grows vines and makes wine. At the start of the story, she walks to the "drostdy" in Stellenbosch to lodge a complaint, claiming that the master (baas)'s son Francois Brink has promised her liberty in return for sleeping with him. She has borne him four children, two of whom are now dead. Philida is a skilled knitter, trained by Petronella, a former first generation Javanese slave who now lives on the farm as a free woman and brought Philida up. Her charge against young Brink is rejected when he refuses to confirm the story, and this leads the master Cornelis to sell her.
This part of the story is true, and Cornelis Brink was a brother of one of the author's ancestors. The farm's bankruptcy is also true, but the story of what happens after the auction is not documented and is probably a little romantic and fanciful, as is the behaviour of her cat (Kleinkat).
Philida is a wonderful character, and the accounts of the harsh treatment of slaves are realistic, as are the details of the religious justifications underpinning their behaviour. The book is narrated by an omniscient third person throughout, but it follows different characters in different chapters.
Brink's afterword talks about two other books that this one has links to, and one of these (A Chain of Voices) concerns a slave rebellion of which Philida witnesses the aftermath - I must try and get hold of a copy of that one.
This one is set in the early 19th century, against the backdrop of the introduction of a law banning slavery. Philida is a slave girl born in the Cape (Caab in the Afrikaner spelling used here). She works on a farm that grows vines and makes wine. At the start of the story, she walks to the "drostdy" in Stellenbosch to lodge a complaint, claiming that the master (baas)'s son Francois Brink has promised her liberty in return for sleeping with him. She has borne him four children, two of whom are now dead. Philida is a skilled knitter, trained by Petronella, a former first generation Javanese slave who now lives on the farm as a free woman and brought Philida up. Her charge against young Brink is rejected when he refuses to confirm the story, and this leads the master Cornelis to sell her.
This part of the story is true, and Cornelis Brink was a brother of one of the author's ancestors. The farm's bankruptcy is also true, but the story of what happens after the auction is not documented and is probably a little romantic and fanciful, as is the behaviour of her cat (Kleinkat).
Philida is a wonderful character, and the accounts of the harsh treatment of slaves are realistic, as are the details of the religious justifications underpinning their behaviour. The book is narrated by an omniscient third person throughout, but it follows different characters in different chapters.
Brink's afterword talks about two other books that this one has links to, and one of these (A Chain of Voices) concerns a slave rebellion of which Philida witnesses the aftermath - I must try and get hold of a copy of that one.
September 14, 2017
Enchanting
How did I miss this for so long? I was caught in it's web from the first page until the last. Now I wish for more of Philida's story. What an amazing character. Very well written novel about one of the earliest troubled times in the "beyond description" history of South Africa. In 1837 the slaves were freed but had to stay indentured for 4 more years. They were allowed to wear shoes for the first time! The years before, told by Philida and those in her life is a story worth reading to help us learn or remind us to accept people of any color or culture as equal. Why do we never learn?
How did I miss this for so long? I was caught in it's web from the first page until the last. Now I wish for more of Philida's story. What an amazing character. Very well written novel about one of the earliest troubled times in the "beyond description" history of South Africa. In 1837 the slaves were freed but had to stay indentured for 4 more years. They were allowed to wear shoes for the first time! The years before, told by Philida and those in her life is a story worth reading to help us learn or remind us to accept people of any color or culture as equal. Why do we never learn?
May 31, 2016
From exquisite pain sometimes comes exquisite beauty. Andre Brink tackles a harrowing time in our world history: slavery in South Africa in the 1830s, when brutal thrashings from those who held a Bible in one hand and a whip in the other were commonplace. Yet he tells the tale with such eloquence and lyricism that the reader is caught between loving the words and yet condemning the subject matter.
Philida – the eponymous slave woman – actually worked as a knitting girl on the arm from 1824-1832; her “master” Cornelius Brink is one of Andre Brink’s own direct ancestors. That knowledge pervades the tale and grounds it even more in reality. “What happens to me is what others want to happen. I am a piece of knitting that is knitted by somebody else,” Philida muses early on.
In this novel though, she is well on her way to becoming her authentic self. The master’s son, Frans – a weak-spirited young man – takes a shine to her and they indulge in semi-consensual copulation. Four children are born from this union; one has died under mysterious circumstances and another when she was an infant. When Philada takes steps to demand her promised freedom, Frans publicly disowns their relationship and Philada is sold to another slave-owner in retaliation. And so the story takes off.
Andre Brink is a superb writer. Through shifts of narrative voice and Victorian headings leading into each chapter, he beautifully tells the story of Philida and those who surround her. Man’s inhumanity to fellow man – floggings, rape, and most of all, the constant dehumanizing – is rendered so intensely that it brings tears to one’s eyes. He writes, “Each one goes on looking for his own shadow that lies trampled into the dust and left to lie there. We have more than enough lost shadows among us.”
My biggest quibble – and it’s not enough to take my rating under 5 stars – is that the story starts to run out of steam in the end. Brink inexplicably seems to shift the focus from the personal to the universal. Philida almost functions as a symbol: “Soon there must come a day when I can say for myself: This and that I shall do, this and that I shall not.” In the second half, the tone begins to become uneven: from powerful realism to out-of-place satire in some instances. A sub-theme of religious growth is – in my mind – unnecessarily exploited.
But oh, the prose. Oh, that luscious prose. As a reader, I’m ready to forgive just about anything for that.
Philida – the eponymous slave woman – actually worked as a knitting girl on the arm from 1824-1832; her “master” Cornelius Brink is one of Andre Brink’s own direct ancestors. That knowledge pervades the tale and grounds it even more in reality. “What happens to me is what others want to happen. I am a piece of knitting that is knitted by somebody else,” Philida muses early on.
In this novel though, she is well on her way to becoming her authentic self. The master’s son, Frans – a weak-spirited young man – takes a shine to her and they indulge in semi-consensual copulation. Four children are born from this union; one has died under mysterious circumstances and another when she was an infant. When Philada takes steps to demand her promised freedom, Frans publicly disowns their relationship and Philada is sold to another slave-owner in retaliation. And so the story takes off.
Andre Brink is a superb writer. Through shifts of narrative voice and Victorian headings leading into each chapter, he beautifully tells the story of Philida and those who surround her. Man’s inhumanity to fellow man – floggings, rape, and most of all, the constant dehumanizing – is rendered so intensely that it brings tears to one’s eyes. He writes, “Each one goes on looking for his own shadow that lies trampled into the dust and left to lie there. We have more than enough lost shadows among us.”
My biggest quibble – and it’s not enough to take my rating under 5 stars – is that the story starts to run out of steam in the end. Brink inexplicably seems to shift the focus from the personal to the universal. Philida almost functions as a symbol: “Soon there must come a day when I can say for myself: This and that I shall do, this and that I shall not.” In the second half, the tone begins to become uneven: from powerful realism to out-of-place satire in some instances. A sub-theme of religious growth is – in my mind – unnecessarily exploited.
But oh, the prose. Oh, that luscious prose. As a reader, I’m ready to forgive just about anything for that.
December 2, 2018
Author Andre Brink has used some of his own family's history to write the story of a slave woman in the 1830s Cape of South Africa. The slave Philida is filing a complaint with the Protector of Slaves that her master's son, Frans Brink, has not granted her freedom as he promised. Frans has bedded her, and given her four children. Now, Frans' father, Cornelius, is demanding that Frans marry into a wealthy family to save their financially unstable vineyards. Cornelius has plans for Philida to be sold in a northern auction.
Folk tales, Christian Bible readings, and Islam all flavor Philida's view of the world. Philida, a talented knitter, is a strong woman with a sense of humor. She has retained her sense of self-worth in spite of her years as a slave. The more historical chapters are written in third person. Other chapters are written in first person from the points of view of Philida, Frans, Cornelius, and others. The author does not use quotation marks, but it seemed clear when someone was speaking. Many Afrikaan words are mixed in with the English so it would have been helpful if the book had included a glossary.
The book is often brutal and graphic as it shows the treatment of slaves. The scenes involving slave auctions where mothers and children were separated were tragic. The punishments to runaway slaves were sickening and cruel. But there is a feeling of optimism as the British emancipated the slaves on December 1, 1834, while requiring that the slaves work for their masters as indentured servants for an additional four years.
"Philida" is not an "enjoyable" story because of the brutality, but it is important that these stories are told. The author also included scenes showing the kindness of other slaves, the antics of the kitten Kleinkat, and folktales about a chameleon which acted as welcome relief from the darkness of the story. Author Andre Brink, who has also written anti-apartheid books, is to be commended for writing about a difficult subject. He was nominated for the 2012 Man Booker Prize.
3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars.
Folk tales, Christian Bible readings, and Islam all flavor Philida's view of the world. Philida, a talented knitter, is a strong woman with a sense of humor. She has retained her sense of self-worth in spite of her years as a slave. The more historical chapters are written in third person. Other chapters are written in first person from the points of view of Philida, Frans, Cornelius, and others. The author does not use quotation marks, but it seemed clear when someone was speaking. Many Afrikaan words are mixed in with the English so it would have been helpful if the book had included a glossary.
The book is often brutal and graphic as it shows the treatment of slaves. The scenes involving slave auctions where mothers and children were separated were tragic. The punishments to runaway slaves were sickening and cruel. But there is a feeling of optimism as the British emancipated the slaves on December 1, 1834, while requiring that the slaves work for their masters as indentured servants for an additional four years.
"Philida" is not an "enjoyable" story because of the brutality, but it is important that these stories are told. The author also included scenes showing the kindness of other slaves, the antics of the kitten Kleinkat, and folktales about a chameleon which acted as welcome relief from the darkness of the story. Author Andre Brink, who has also written anti-apartheid books, is to be commended for writing about a difficult subject. He was nominated for the 2012 Man Booker Prize.
3.5 stars rounding up to 4 stars.
June 4, 2013
The thing I liked (well not really liked… appreciated?) most about this book is how it made me realize just how self-centered Americans are. The fact that when I picked this book up at the library I didn’t realize that slavery had been just as bad in South Africa is a tribute to my glorious USA-centric education.
That out of the way, I think this is one of the most interesting stories about slavery I’ve ever encountered. The story is about a woman named Philida, slave, lover to the master’s son and mother of his children, who refuses to accept what she’s been given. Every second of her life she fights, questions, and demands answers about why her life should be so different from the white people around her.
What makes this story unique is that it is told from every possible angle; you see through Philida’s eyes, you see through her lover’s eyes, you see through the master’s eyes, you see through the free black woman’s (who is also the master’s mother) eyes. In each perspective, you see the justification for the characters and all of this societies’ actions and beliefs. Philida isn’t trying to cause problems when she makes a complaint against Frans, she’s only trying to keep her and her children from being separated and get what’s promised to her-freedom.
You also see, in horrific detail, the white men defend their actions. Because they own these women, they have the right to rape them at any time. Because they are white, they are superior to their slaves and thus all their actions are fair. Because they believe in a Christian God who said that the descendents of Hamm would be slaves (aka black people) they have the divine right to treat an entire race of people like property, and use any tool in their power to force them into submission (including, but not limited to, whips, belts, kitten murder, murdering their children, and lots and lots of violent awful rape).
Seeing the story from all these different sides makes the book much harder to read than I thought it would be. It’s a dense, heavy read, even though it’s not very long. That it’s written in a dialect some of the time makes it even more challenging, especially since I know absolutely no Dutch and can’t pronounce or understand a lot of the words used. But honestly I think it’s an important read, and even if it’s hard to get through it’s beautifully written and incredibly powerful.
That out of the way, I think this is one of the most interesting stories about slavery I’ve ever encountered. The story is about a woman named Philida, slave, lover to the master’s son and mother of his children, who refuses to accept what she’s been given. Every second of her life she fights, questions, and demands answers about why her life should be so different from the white people around her.
What makes this story unique is that it is told from every possible angle; you see through Philida’s eyes, you see through her lover’s eyes, you see through the master’s eyes, you see through the free black woman’s (who is also the master’s mother) eyes. In each perspective, you see the justification for the characters and all of this societies’ actions and beliefs. Philida isn’t trying to cause problems when she makes a complaint against Frans, she’s only trying to keep her and her children from being separated and get what’s promised to her-freedom.
You also see, in horrific detail, the white men defend their actions. Because they own these women, they have the right to rape them at any time. Because they are white, they are superior to their slaves and thus all their actions are fair. Because they believe in a Christian God who said that the descendents of Hamm would be slaves (aka black people) they have the divine right to treat an entire race of people like property, and use any tool in their power to force them into submission (including, but not limited to, whips, belts, kitten murder, murdering their children, and lots and lots of violent awful rape).
Seeing the story from all these different sides makes the book much harder to read than I thought it would be. It’s a dense, heavy read, even though it’s not very long. That it’s written in a dialect some of the time makes it even more challenging, especially since I know absolutely no Dutch and can’t pronounce or understand a lot of the words used. But honestly I think it’s an important read, and even if it’s hard to get through it’s beautifully written and incredibly powerful.
May 29, 2016
A brutal glimpse of the violence of South African slavery, and a focus on the sexualized nature of much of that violence. The first half of this book is a very painful read, as Brink takes us up close to the minutiae of that brutality and, uncomfortably, to the prurient voyeurism that lurks just behind. Overall, an interesting and well-written nod to a perhaps little-known ( outside of South Africa) historical chapter, when the Dutch imported Javanese and other "brown" people to South Africa as slaves (a triangulation of what we Americans picture when we hear "slave trade"), and those slaves became an inextricable part of the Boer bloodline and the nation's history.
Unfortunately, the gut-wrenching dramatic first half of the novel is followed by a draggy 2nd half that never rings true. Part of the problem is that, try as he might, Brink can't quite give the preternaturally courageous, wise and mystical slave girl protagonist the same earthy realism his Boer male villains have. Slaves are bold, enduring, close to nature and the spirits, wise and patient. Whites are crude, lustful, and cruel. Maybe so, but it makes the slave characters a bit flat and dull. See the Book of Night Women for a more successful treatment of the complexities of the brutal dehumanizing violence and human passions of life during colonial slavery.
Unfortunately, the gut-wrenching dramatic first half of the novel is followed by a draggy 2nd half that never rings true. Part of the problem is that, try as he might, Brink can't quite give the preternaturally courageous, wise and mystical slave girl protagonist the same earthy realism his Boer male villains have. Slaves are bold, enduring, close to nature and the spirits, wise and patient. Whites are crude, lustful, and cruel. Maybe so, but it makes the slave characters a bit flat and dull. See the Book of Night Women for a more successful treatment of the complexities of the brutal dehumanizing violence and human passions of life during colonial slavery.
March 21, 2013
In the acknowledgments section of his novel, the author notes that
"The discovery that her master Cornelis Brink was a brother of one of my own direct ancestors, and that he sold her at auction after his son Francois Gerhard Jacob Brink had made four children with her..."
was the catalyst for his story. This re-imagined Philida is no ordinary slave; as the novel opens she's on her way to lodge a complaint against Francois who, after fathering four children with her, had promised to buy her freedom. He, of course, has no power to free her, since Philida is the property of his father. She makes the trek to see the Slave Protector to air her grievances, a journey that will ultimately have consequences not only for Philida, but for others in her life as well. You'll find a longer version of this discussion here; otherwise, read on.
The book makes for compelling reading, and while the horrors of slavery are certainly included in the narrative, they are there without the sensationalism that is usually present. And while this may sound a little weird, while I had absolutely zero sympathy for the key players in the Brink family (Cornelis, Francois and especially Mrs. Brink), the use of changing points of view helps to provide perspective from their side -- not just in terms of a lack of humanity but also in the bigger economic and cultural picture of an uncertain future. The story also focuses on the power of stories, as well as connections to the land. Sometimes I'll admit that Philida's philosophizing got tiring, and I also found that in some spots the way she spoke was more eloquent and refined than it probably should have been. For me, the knitting analogy was just a wee bit overdone and a bit obvious, although I get that from Philida's point of view, it was a way for her to express herself. However, I liked this book. This is not your usual novel about slavery, by any means, and I'd definitely urge you to give it a try.
"The discovery that her master Cornelis Brink was a brother of one of my own direct ancestors, and that he sold her at auction after his son Francois Gerhard Jacob Brink had made four children with her..."
was the catalyst for his story. This re-imagined Philida is no ordinary slave; as the novel opens she's on her way to lodge a complaint against Francois who, after fathering four children with her, had promised to buy her freedom. He, of course, has no power to free her, since Philida is the property of his father. She makes the trek to see the Slave Protector to air her grievances, a journey that will ultimately have consequences not only for Philida, but for others in her life as well. You'll find a longer version of this discussion here; otherwise, read on.
The book makes for compelling reading, and while the horrors of slavery are certainly included in the narrative, they are there without the sensationalism that is usually present. And while this may sound a little weird, while I had absolutely zero sympathy for the key players in the Brink family (Cornelis, Francois and especially Mrs. Brink), the use of changing points of view helps to provide perspective from their side -- not just in terms of a lack of humanity but also in the bigger economic and cultural picture of an uncertain future. The story also focuses on the power of stories, as well as connections to the land. Sometimes I'll admit that Philida's philosophizing got tiring, and I also found that in some spots the way she spoke was more eloquent and refined than it probably should have been. For me, the knitting analogy was just a wee bit overdone and a bit obvious, although I get that from Philida's point of view, it was a way for her to express herself. However, I liked this book. This is not your usual novel about slavery, by any means, and I'd definitely urge you to give it a try.
March 24, 2017
The story started strongly. Philida is a slave, promised freedom by her owner and father of her children, finds this was a hollow promise so goes to make a complaint. There is some graphic and brutal scenes of how she was treated.
But from there, it seem to me to be a number of themes are explored but none to deeply and the story becomes more of a series of vignettes.
It is 1832 in Cape Town and the slaves are aware that things are about to change and a new English law will ban slavery and set them free.
The whites are either Dutch, English and Afrikaans and there lies the simmering hatred.
The slave owners are bullies but scared of the future.
Christianity versus Islam is debated.
The writing is interesting as each chapter is narrated by different characters so the style is adopted to the character. That is an enviable achievement but in the end the structure of the book just did not grab me.
But from there, it seem to me to be a number of themes are explored but none to deeply and the story becomes more of a series of vignettes.
It is 1832 in Cape Town and the slaves are aware that things are about to change and a new English law will ban slavery and set them free.
The whites are either Dutch, English and Afrikaans and there lies the simmering hatred.
The slave owners are bullies but scared of the future.
Christianity versus Islam is debated.
The writing is interesting as each chapter is narrated by different characters so the style is adopted to the character. That is an enviable achievement but in the end the structure of the book just did not grab me.
September 2, 2015
3 ½ stars
This book reminded me how much I missed good Afrikaans writing. I am glad I waited to get my hands on the actual Afrikaans book rather than go for the quick fix English version that was readily available at the time. I firmly believe some of the magic gets lost in translation.
Andre Brink is known for his deep disturbing subject matter but as our South African history of slavery and oppression goes back so far this story felt like complete fantasy – which it is NOT!
This is definitely a firm recommendation however I was constantly a bit disengaged with the story – picking up and putting down the book over and over – I am not sure if it is because I have gotten spoilt reading e-books and now find an actual physical book more cumbersome to read or if it has to do with other distractions in my life.
This book reminded me how much I missed good Afrikaans writing. I am glad I waited to get my hands on the actual Afrikaans book rather than go for the quick fix English version that was readily available at the time. I firmly believe some of the magic gets lost in translation.
Andre Brink is known for his deep disturbing subject matter but as our South African history of slavery and oppression goes back so far this story felt like complete fantasy – which it is NOT!
This is definitely a firm recommendation however I was constantly a bit disengaged with the story – picking up and putting down the book over and over – I am not sure if it is because I have gotten spoilt reading e-books and now find an actual physical book more cumbersome to read or if it has to do with other distractions in my life.
December 15, 2012
This great novel, published in 2012, is set in 'South Africa' during the early 1830s.
Philida, a slave in the Brink household, makes a complaint about her master at the Office of the Slave Protector, an office set up relatively recently, soon after the British replaced the Dutch as rulers of the Cape Colony. Her complaint sets off a chain of events during which the reader is introduced to the harsh realities of slavery in the colony. The reader will also learn quickly that nothing is as simple as black and white. Many of the slaves have some white (i.e. European) blood, and many of their masters and mistresses have some African or Asian blood coursing through their veins.
Some years ago, someone told me that when the ancestries of the leaders of the Apartheid governments were examined, almost all of them were found to have had at least one non-white (African or Asian)ancestor.
Philida knows full well that there is a big change in the offing. Soon, slavery is to be abolished in the Cape Colony. This is also abundantly obvious to her masters. Still, life goes on much as before, but what will become of the slaves and their 'baasses' after slavery comes to an end?
Philida and her children are sold to a new owner far from the Brink's farm. She meets another slave who introduces her to Islam, the religion, which, unlike the Christianity to which she has become accustomed, respects everyone as being equal. This and the ever nearing day of liberation emboldens her; she begins to do what she wants - not what she is told to do.
The author plunges us straight into the world of the Cape of the 1830s, and little imagination is required to believe that we are looking through a window into a vivid past. Most of the story is transmitted to the reader in the characters' own words most successfully.
As I read the book, I wondered occasionally whether the author was drawing parallels between two momentous occasions: the ending of slavery in the Cape in 1834 and the downfall of Apartheid almost 160 years later. Near the end of the book Philida says: " If you ask me, it will be harder for the white people than for us. We can still manage, one way or the other. But what will become of them? We are like the foundation of their house. Their lives and everything is built on us. This whole land is built on our sweat and blood."
Philida, a slave in the Brink household, makes a complaint about her master at the Office of the Slave Protector, an office set up relatively recently, soon after the British replaced the Dutch as rulers of the Cape Colony. Her complaint sets off a chain of events during which the reader is introduced to the harsh realities of slavery in the colony. The reader will also learn quickly that nothing is as simple as black and white. Many of the slaves have some white (i.e. European) blood, and many of their masters and mistresses have some African or Asian blood coursing through their veins.
Some years ago, someone told me that when the ancestries of the leaders of the Apartheid governments were examined, almost all of them were found to have had at least one non-white (African or Asian)ancestor.
Philida knows full well that there is a big change in the offing. Soon, slavery is to be abolished in the Cape Colony. This is also abundantly obvious to her masters. Still, life goes on much as before, but what will become of the slaves and their 'baasses' after slavery comes to an end?
Philida and her children are sold to a new owner far from the Brink's farm. She meets another slave who introduces her to Islam, the religion, which, unlike the Christianity to which she has become accustomed, respects everyone as being equal. This and the ever nearing day of liberation emboldens her; she begins to do what she wants - not what she is told to do.
The author plunges us straight into the world of the Cape of the 1830s, and little imagination is required to believe that we are looking through a window into a vivid past. Most of the story is transmitted to the reader in the characters' own words most successfully.
As I read the book, I wondered occasionally whether the author was drawing parallels between two momentous occasions: the ending of slavery in the Cape in 1834 and the downfall of Apartheid almost 160 years later. Near the end of the book Philida says: " If you ask me, it will be harder for the white people than for us. We can still manage, one way or the other. But what will become of them? We are like the foundation of their house. Their lives and everything is built on us. This whole land is built on our sweat and blood."
March 10, 2013
For me, this book was so-so. It was a good enough read, but the characters were, to me, undeveloped, and I felt like the author was trying to cram a lot of disparate things into a specific book without really developing the scenes, characters, and the rest. Certain momentous things happened and yet were not followed up. For example, a powerful landowner (and a vicious unpredictable slaveowner) makes it known at a slave auction that one of the black women there (a freed slave) is his own mother. It's implied and or stated in other ways throughout the book, but the public announcement seems to have no effect, especially in light of the fact that he sells off a female slave, the main character of this book, who has given birth to several of his son's children. He sells Philida and her children, with no effort in the book to explore the contradictions and complexity of this decision. He loses his farm, only to find out that it has been purchases for him and is being held for him by a range of other families, one of which is the highly-regarded family of the woman his son is supposed to marry into for their wealth. That also did not make sense given all the different social complexities. Late in the book there is a superficial discussion of Islam and Christianity... none of it really hangs together.
I had to force myself to finish it, in part because I just started to lose interest.
I had to force myself to finish it, in part because I just started to lose interest.
December 29, 2024
This was hard book to read, yet so beautiful. As a South African, i know along with many others, that the slavery experienced in this country is quite unspoken. I learnt a lot and enjoyed her character and learnt quite a few lessons that still can be used in today's world. Thank you André for this work of art.
June 3, 2016
The End of Slavery
As well he might, for this is a family story based on fact. Philida's bid for justice is recorded history, and her owner, Cornelis Brink, was a distant great-uncle. At times you feel the author is torn between a loving recreation of a time and place and his portrayal of a determined young woman who refuses to totally belong to it. There are moments when the passion is in danger of being softened by sentiment. But in the end it is Philida who wins out in the triumphant closing lines of the book:
Here come shit. Just one look, and I can see it coming. Here I walk all this way and God know that its bad enough, what with the child in the abbadoek on my back, and now there's no turning back, it's just straight to hell and gone.Distinguished South African writer André Brink has grabbed you with the very first line of his book, giving slavery the voice of a feisty and determined young woman. This is Philida, who has walked three days on foot to lay a complaint before the Slave Protector at the Cape. It is a risky move, and perhaps unnecessary, since this is November 1832 and the abolition of slavery has already been announced for December 1833. But Philida's bondage is more than ownership. She is tied to the young master, who has already given her four children, two dead, two still living. And more than anything she is bound emotionally to Zandvliet, the wine-growing estate where she works as a seamstress and knitter:
The noisy screams of the hadeda, like messy red and purple and green stitches on a new cloth, the crows like dark patches in the bright sun, black threads in a field of white or blue, or a peacock yelling like a thing that know all about death, but so beautiful with its bright feathers when it open up like the rising sun, growing as still as Frans's thing when the lust grow in him, always the birds, or the bats at dusk, the owls at night tearing your innards out in shreds with their hoot and hoos. All of them calling out Zandvliet, Zandvliet, deep into the secret places of your body until you learn at last to know where you come from.With writing like that, how could you not keep reading? Philida's search for identity is powerful and at times painful; the horrors she encounters and indignities she suffers are as shocking as anything else that has been written about slavery. But Brink surprises the reader by the intensity of joy also, the excursions into folklore, the shocking incursion of comedy, and a quality of romance that is abetted by the teasing chapter headings in the manner of a 19th-century novel, such as: The Narrative of what may be a Chapter from the Kind of Romance that was not uncommon at the Time of our Story, even though it may not be unequivocally happy. Brink's frequent shifts of tone and genre may disconcert some readers, but it is probably true to the texture of life at the time, even for the slaves. Remarkably, this is a book that shows life from all perspectives, those of the masters as well as the slaves and freedmen. It is a much more closely integrated society than we might have imagined, where even some of the owners may well have slave blood. By constantly shifting the narrative perspective, Brink reveals their sorrow and weaknesses also, even creating some empathy for people who appear first as exploitative or domineering.
As well he might, for this is a family story based on fact. Philida's bid for justice is recorded history, and her owner, Cornelis Brink, was a distant great-uncle. At times you feel the author is torn between a loving recreation of a time and place and his portrayal of a determined young woman who refuses to totally belong to it. There are moments when the passion is in danger of being softened by sentiment. But in the end it is Philida who wins out in the triumphant closing lines of the book:
I am here. I, Philida of the Caab. This I that is free. The I who was a slave and who now is free, who is a woman, and who is everything. I.
March 26, 2013
This was an absolutely fascinating novel. I had not heard of Andre Brink before, but after finishing this, I definitely plan on checking out this talented South African author’s other novels. He based this story partly on his own ancestors which lent a ring of authenticity to the entire novel. The titular character, Philida, was a slave in South Africa in the 1830s, just on the cusp of the abolishment of slavery. The book touched on a lot of big themes and would certainly make for a perfect book club novel. There was a lot in it that would promote a lively and interesting discussion - high schools and colleges might want to use it, too
Brink even maintained a writing style that harkened back to his 18302 time period. The perspective shifted with each chapter, but the book felt cohesive and never once had a disjointed or disconnected sense about it. It was a thought-provoking and interesting novel. The lack of quotation marks was a style choice that distracted me at first, but after becoming accustomed to it, it no longer bother me. It had a very oral history flavor to it, and would make for a delightful audiobook, I am sure.
Brink even maintained a writing style that harkened back to his 18302 time period. The perspective shifted with each chapter, but the book felt cohesive and never once had a disjointed or disconnected sense about it. It was a thought-provoking and interesting novel. The lack of quotation marks was a style choice that distracted me at first, but after becoming accustomed to it, it no longer bother me. It had a very oral history flavor to it, and would make for a delightful audiobook, I am sure.
February 25, 2022
"Here comes shit. Just one look, and I can see it coming."
When a book starts with this sentence, you know you are in for a rollercoaster ride.
Philida, a slave mother of 4 children, fathered by her master's son who is about to marry a wealthy white woman and forgo his promise to set her free. A woman with so much to lose, yet nothing else to lose, goes against the system, against her fate, to fight for her freedom. She can't accept that what she was born into, slavery, is what will define her for the rest of her life.
The powerful writing, and the deeply rooted issues of slavery that the author captured from his family history in South Africa, make this one of the most unique books I have picked up. It's hard to read because you know it's real, but you want to keep reading because you are fighting with Philida.
A finalist for Man Booker Prize and sadly underrated.
When a book starts with this sentence, you know you are in for a rollercoaster ride.
Philida, a slave mother of 4 children, fathered by her master's son who is about to marry a wealthy white woman and forgo his promise to set her free. A woman with so much to lose, yet nothing else to lose, goes against the system, against her fate, to fight for her freedom. She can't accept that what she was born into, slavery, is what will define her for the rest of her life.
The powerful writing, and the deeply rooted issues of slavery that the author captured from his family history in South Africa, make this one of the most unique books I have picked up. It's hard to read because you know it's real, but you want to keep reading because you are fighting with Philida.
A finalist for Man Booker Prize and sadly underrated.
September 2, 2015
Philida is a slave in South Africa where the master's son impregnates her on several occasions and she is sold to avoid the shame it will bring to his impending marriage to a woman of good standing. Brink bases his novel on a real woman from the 19th century, a slave owned by one of his ancestors. This was a good novel that explored slavery and the lives of slaves. It would have benefitted though from a glossary either at the start or end of the book to explain the Afrikaan words used throughout.
December 18, 2012
More harrowing than 'A dry white season', it took me a long time to get through this book. It made me feel sick.What is even more unsettling is this is not a work of fiction but an account of documented fact. I found this book brilliant but very upsetting. Brink's writing at it's most straight forward without dressing up for guests..not for the faint hearted
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Philida - Nevisande : Andr̩ Brink - ISBN : - ISBN13 : - Dar 322 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2012
December 12, 2025
"Philida" (2012) was the last novel published by André Brink, the most prominent Afrikaans writer, to have supported the struggle against Apartheid and for Black Majority Rule in South Africa. It stands as a notable success in a distinguished career. In it through the life of Philida, a black slave woman, Brink shows the reader what life was like as a slave. The events take place during final years of South African slavery which the British abolished much to the chagrin of the Afrikaners in 1832. A brief section at the end relates the experiences of the heroine after the abolition.
"Philida" is quite postmodern. It has multiple narrators some of whom seem to be unreliable. Another postmodern touch is that the author is the descendant of two of the protagonists of the novel.
One is ancestor is François Brink who fathers 4 children with Philida and promises to give her freedom. François, unfortunately is both a coward and a liar. He is in no position to keep his promise grant Philida her freedom as she belongs to his father Cornelis Brink who is a very nasty man. Cornelis hates Blacks and is a fanatical Christian who at every turn cites the story of Abraham promising God to sacrifice of his son Isaac to him (Genesis 22).
Cornelis' final fault is that he is incompetent. He goes bankrupt. Then in order to save the Brink fortunes, Cornelis arranges a marriage for Francois with a woman from a prosperous family. In this situation, Philida must disappear from the scene. Accordingly she and her children are sold at auction and depart from the Brink farm.
At this point Philida disappears from the documents of the family. Nonetheless Brink writes a an excellent ending to Philida's tale and her actions during her first year as a free person. My one reservation about this part of the novel, is that Brink introduces a Muslim into the narrative and has Philida flirting with Muslim.
The novel also contains several passages where slaves are subject to absolutely horrifying abuse. Some readers may be revolted. I did not enjoy the sections in question. However, they are consistent with many things that I read about American slavery for a number of undergraduate courses on American history. Brink may shock but all indications are that he is faithful to the historical reality.
"Philida" is a fine book both for the story of its heroine and for the historical information that is communicated to the reader. It is a fine conclusion for Brink's career.
"Philida" is quite postmodern. It has multiple narrators some of whom seem to be unreliable. Another postmodern touch is that the author is the descendant of two of the protagonists of the novel.
One is ancestor is François Brink who fathers 4 children with Philida and promises to give her freedom. François, unfortunately is both a coward and a liar. He is in no position to keep his promise grant Philida her freedom as she belongs to his father Cornelis Brink who is a very nasty man. Cornelis hates Blacks and is a fanatical Christian who at every turn cites the story of Abraham promising God to sacrifice of his son Isaac to him (Genesis 22).
Cornelis' final fault is that he is incompetent. He goes bankrupt. Then in order to save the Brink fortunes, Cornelis arranges a marriage for Francois with a woman from a prosperous family. In this situation, Philida must disappear from the scene. Accordingly she and her children are sold at auction and depart from the Brink farm.
At this point Philida disappears from the documents of the family. Nonetheless Brink writes a an excellent ending to Philida's tale and her actions during her first year as a free person. My one reservation about this part of the novel, is that Brink introduces a Muslim into the narrative and has Philida flirting with Muslim.
The novel also contains several passages where slaves are subject to absolutely horrifying abuse. Some readers may be revolted. I did not enjoy the sections in question. However, they are consistent with many things that I read about American slavery for a number of undergraduate courses on American history. Brink may shock but all indications are that he is faithful to the historical reality.
"Philida" is a fine book both for the story of its heroine and for the historical information that is communicated to the reader. It is a fine conclusion for Brink's career.
August 22, 2013
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. South Africa is not a country I visit often in my reading, and I only know about the basics of slavery in Africa. 1830s South Africa is alien to me. I was pretty awed to find out at the end of the book that Brink wrote of his own family. I had noticed the main characters' Brink family name, of course, but I didn't think an author would have the guts to not even change the names of his own family, given the content.
But here's the thing. Brink (the author, I mean), chooses to write a mostly first person narrative, with Philida front and center of the book. It works for most of it, when she's still with the Brink family. Brink (the author) could draw on the history of his own family for the events that take place. It's when the action shifts off to the de Wat farm that the book gets a bit iffy. There's nothing more for Brink (the author) to draw on, and so he has Philida discover a new religion. It's a good premise, but it does become a bit long drawn. That's a bit of change when compared to the action packed first half, and is more than a bit jarring. I can't help but think it's because there is nothing more to be recounted, and that Brink (the author) didn't know how to it.
There are also narratives that follow Cornelis Brink and Frans Brink, and they're made out to be weak men who justify their enslavement of other human beings as biblical and right. And for Philida this enslavement means rape. The first half of the book is gut-wrenching. I feel physically sick reading of the whole ordeal. I cannot comprehend that people did all they did, and still sat around the dinner table spouting the Bible. Like I mentioned earlier, there has to be guts to write about these atrocities, especially when it's personal even though (in this case) it's all in the past. Brink has it in abundance. He's also a brilliant writer. I've not read anything by Brink before, but I will have to change that soon.
It's not the prose of the book I have a problem with, nor the content. The decision to make the Brinks weak instead of hateful and evil worked for me, even though I would say their actions are evil and hateful anyway. It's the second half of the book that threw me, it's definitely lost steam by the time Philida gets settled into her new household. Oh, there are still a couple of effective scenes, but they're few and far and normally involve one or the other Brink. I still liked it, but I would have loved it had the narrative stopped after Philida's eventful auction. 3 stars.
Edit. Kleinkat deserves a mention. I loved that itty bitty cat. Weirdly, Kleinkat had more personality than Philida's two children, which as a cat lover I would call fitting.
But here's the thing. Brink (the author, I mean), chooses to write a mostly first person narrative, with Philida front and center of the book. It works for most of it, when she's still with the Brink family. Brink (the author) could draw on the history of his own family for the events that take place. It's when the action shifts off to the de Wat farm that the book gets a bit iffy. There's nothing more for Brink (the author) to draw on, and so he has Philida discover a new religion. It's a good premise, but it does become a bit long drawn. That's a bit of change when compared to the action packed first half, and is more than a bit jarring. I can't help but think it's because there is nothing more to be recounted, and that Brink (the author) didn't know how to it.
There are also narratives that follow Cornelis Brink and Frans Brink, and they're made out to be weak men who justify their enslavement of other human beings as biblical and right. And for Philida this enslavement means rape. The first half of the book is gut-wrenching. I feel physically sick reading of the whole ordeal. I cannot comprehend that people did all they did, and still sat around the dinner table spouting the Bible. Like I mentioned earlier, there has to be guts to write about these atrocities, especially when it's personal even though (in this case) it's all in the past. Brink has it in abundance. He's also a brilliant writer. I've not read anything by Brink before, but I will have to change that soon.
It's not the prose of the book I have a problem with, nor the content. The decision to make the Brinks weak instead of hateful and evil worked for me, even though I would say their actions are evil and hateful anyway. It's the second half of the book that threw me, it's definitely lost steam by the time Philida gets settled into her new household. Oh, there are still a couple of effective scenes, but they're few and far and normally involve one or the other Brink. I still liked it, but I would have loved it had the narrative stopped after Philida's eventful auction. 3 stars.
Edit. Kleinkat deserves a mention. I loved that itty bitty cat. Weirdly, Kleinkat had more personality than Philida's two children, which as a cat lover I would call fitting.
April 12, 2013
This week I read Philida by André Brink. I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I found it frustrating on several levels. It was frustrating reading so many points of view, plus Brink doesn't believe in using quotation marks. Also, I had difficulty with some of the language. Although I could usually understand due to context clues, a comprehensive glossary would have been appreciated.
André Brink based his novel on a true story involving a slave of his ancestor's brother. Philida is a slave in South Africa in the 1830's right before England emancipates slavery in her colonies. But approximately a year before she's free, Philida files a complaint against her master's son, Francois Brink. Francois, father of Philda's four children, promises Philida he'll grant her her freedom. When he fails to do so, Philida files a complaint. I truly wanted to admire Philida and root for her, but Brink makes it difficult because her voice seems so wrong. Her thoughts at times seem disjointed, and she vacillates between loving and hating Francois. One moment she barely seems able to find language to relate a simple thought, and at others she seems like a poetic savant with her long and flowery descriptions.
Francois seems like a better person than most in the narrative. He obviously cares for Philida, and he probably loves her which is amazing considering the trash who reared him. Not that he's a hero by any means, but comparatively speaking, I think he tries (although too late) to do what's right.
Another troublesome thing for me about the story is the bashing of Christians and Christianity. Since this is historical fiction, I think that it's important to mention that the abolitionist movement was started by Quakers and other Christian theologians in England. I understand that many so-called Christians "lived" the Bible yet beat human beings at the same time, but to suggest that Philida would find freedom as a female with Islam is laughable when you look to history. But even with her hybrid religion, Philida seems flighty at best, psychotic at worst.
This has been a difficult review for me to write because I try to be positive on my blog and not review books I don't like, but I was so disappointed, especially considering all the awards and accolades that this book has received.
André Brink based his novel on a true story involving a slave of his ancestor's brother. Philida is a slave in South Africa in the 1830's right before England emancipates slavery in her colonies. But approximately a year before she's free, Philida files a complaint against her master's son, Francois Brink. Francois, father of Philda's four children, promises Philida he'll grant her her freedom. When he fails to do so, Philida files a complaint. I truly wanted to admire Philida and root for her, but Brink makes it difficult because her voice seems so wrong. Her thoughts at times seem disjointed, and she vacillates between loving and hating Francois. One moment she barely seems able to find language to relate a simple thought, and at others she seems like a poetic savant with her long and flowery descriptions.
Francois seems like a better person than most in the narrative. He obviously cares for Philida, and he probably loves her which is amazing considering the trash who reared him. Not that he's a hero by any means, but comparatively speaking, I think he tries (although too late) to do what's right.
Another troublesome thing for me about the story is the bashing of Christians and Christianity. Since this is historical fiction, I think that it's important to mention that the abolitionist movement was started by Quakers and other Christian theologians in England. I understand that many so-called Christians "lived" the Bible yet beat human beings at the same time, but to suggest that Philida would find freedom as a female with Islam is laughable when you look to history. But even with her hybrid religion, Philida seems flighty at best, psychotic at worst.
This has been a difficult review for me to write because I try to be positive on my blog and not review books I don't like, but I was so disappointed, especially considering all the awards and accolades that this book has received.
September 5, 2013
I suspect I may be on a high-rating streak, but I've enjoyed the last few books quite a bit. I especially liked how craftsmanship acted as a sign of dehumanization (a slave may make shoes but cannot wear them) as well as one of self-authorship (Philida's knitting makes her valuable to her owners, but it is also a means for her to present herself as an autonomous individual who "creates" her self). As a lover of 18th and 19th-century novels, I also got a kick over the long, parodic chapter titles. Brinks closing piece on his use of the historical records was fascinating.
This is the first book by Brink that I recall reading. Formally, it fits what I'd heard about his writing: multiple perspectives, switching from the first to the third and then back again. In terms of assigning this in a classroom, it would provide a nice counterbalance to the more traditionally transatlantic primary texts readily available. I like the idea of expanding discussions of British abolition beyond its usual triangle of West Africa, West Indies/Caribbean/North America, and the British Isles. I've found that some students are not very open to dialects in general and smatterings of Afrikaans in particular, so perhaps this could be addressed straight on with an assignment. Creating a lexicon of terms could also prompt discussion about the multiple ethnic/tribal/national groups represented in the novel. Its ending also lends its self for discussing the narrative expectations surrounding female protagonists. The impossibility of true sexual consent in the context of slavery could connect to discussions of sexuality in non-fictive slave narratives (maybe add a bit of early bell hooks on 19th-century ideals of femininity in context of slavery?).
Wonderful book. Perhaps not the best bedtime read, because I wanted to go beyond my allotted time and keep reading. If I'd just sat and read it, it would have gone faster, but I loved lingering over each chapter, which often act as self-contained vignettes.
Something I'm interested in but haven't looked into: the dual languages. There is an English and an Afrikaans version of the novel. I assume Brink was his own translator, but how does that process work? Does one version proceed the other? How much of a difference does language make?
This is the first book by Brink that I recall reading. Formally, it fits what I'd heard about his writing: multiple perspectives, switching from the first to the third and then back again. In terms of assigning this in a classroom, it would provide a nice counterbalance to the more traditionally transatlantic primary texts readily available. I like the idea of expanding discussions of British abolition beyond its usual triangle of West Africa, West Indies/Caribbean/North America, and the British Isles. I've found that some students are not very open to dialects in general and smatterings of Afrikaans in particular, so perhaps this could be addressed straight on with an assignment. Creating a lexicon of terms could also prompt discussion about the multiple ethnic/tribal/national groups represented in the novel. Its ending also lends its self for discussing the narrative expectations surrounding female protagonists. The impossibility of true sexual consent in the context of slavery could connect to discussions of sexuality in non-fictive slave narratives (maybe add a bit of early bell hooks on 19th-century ideals of femininity in context of slavery?).
Wonderful book. Perhaps not the best bedtime read, because I wanted to go beyond my allotted time and keep reading. If I'd just sat and read it, it would have gone faster, but I loved lingering over each chapter, which often act as self-contained vignettes.
Something I'm interested in but haven't looked into: the dual languages. There is an English and an Afrikaans version of the novel. I assume Brink was his own translator, but how does that process work? Does one version proceed the other? How much of a difference does language make?
March 18, 2013
I know it's only March, but this was by far the dullest book I've read this year, and for a long time. I cant understand how this was Man Booker nominated, or how it gets such good reviews. If somebody asked me to tell them what the storyline was, I'd say it was a slave girl who makes a complaint about her boss's son and is then sold to another house. That's it. That is all the happens!
The writing was all over the place, and the narrator changed with each chapter. You didn't immediately know who's voice you were reading, it was a bit of a guessing game usually. Then when she's sold to the other house the first person narration ends, until the last few chapters when it randomly returns. It had no rule or reason behind the change and I don't feel it added anything to the story. I don't like the way each chapter has a summary at the start of what you're about to read either, I don't get the point. I'm not a child, I can hold my interest without being given cheeky snapshots to keep me excited! Although this book is so dull they did kinda help.
I'm not a prudish person in any way, but I feel the many, many sexual references and graphic descriptions, particularly in the first 3rd of the book, were just gratuitous. They added nothing to the story whatsoever. I also didn't understand the random words used in a different language or dialect, that seemed to be very frequent at first but then phased out, for no reason, and were never explained. This didn't add to the story for me, they just seemed like the author trying to be clever but it just put me off.
All in all, it was a thoroughly dull book that I had to force myself through and that i still don't see the point in. The characters had no substance and I hated them all, particularly Philida who seemed whiny and murdered her own first born for absolutely no reason, which didn't add to my liking of her. Everything in the book annoyed me and I'm glad it's finished.
The writing was all over the place, and the narrator changed with each chapter. You didn't immediately know who's voice you were reading, it was a bit of a guessing game usually. Then when she's sold to the other house the first person narration ends, until the last few chapters when it randomly returns. It had no rule or reason behind the change and I don't feel it added anything to the story. I don't like the way each chapter has a summary at the start of what you're about to read either, I don't get the point. I'm not a child, I can hold my interest without being given cheeky snapshots to keep me excited! Although this book is so dull they did kinda help.
I'm not a prudish person in any way, but I feel the many, many sexual references and graphic descriptions, particularly in the first 3rd of the book, were just gratuitous. They added nothing to the story whatsoever. I also didn't understand the random words used in a different language or dialect, that seemed to be very frequent at first but then phased out, for no reason, and were never explained. This didn't add to the story for me, they just seemed like the author trying to be clever but it just put me off.
All in all, it was a thoroughly dull book that I had to force myself through and that i still don't see the point in. The characters had no substance and I hated them all, particularly Philida who seemed whiny and murdered her own first born for absolutely no reason, which didn't add to my liking of her. Everything in the book annoyed me and I'm glad it's finished.
January 4, 2013
Philida by Andre P. Brink is a novel steeped in historical events that follows the journey of Philida, a slave in Cape Town from the time she decides to make a stand for herself until the year of emancipation of the slaves.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. Philida has no "filter," she documents everything done to her in a detached way that still manages to infuse the account with deep, painful emotions. She gave birth to four children, two who still live, and struggles to deal with the idea that her master and lover will not hold true to his promise to her.
Brink lays it all out there with this book. From stories of escaped slaves, to those who were caught during an uprising, tales of the auction block to comparisons to kittens being drowned, there is nothing that is left untouched in this book. The brutal, horrible, degrading way in which the slaves were treated is presented to the reader in its raw form and it's only the beauty of Brink's writing and the infusion of the culture into the book that keeps it from being too hard to read.
One of the things I love about reading is being taken to places I never knew about. This is one of those cases. This is a part of history I knew nothing about, a place I knew nothing about, and a story that should be remembered as a warning to humankind. The story of Philida is one of strength and determination, a young woman standing up against immense odds to take what is her right - to find strength through her own religious beliefs and to learn to live as a human being and not a possession.
This is not a book for the faint of heart. Philida has no "filter," she documents everything done to her in a detached way that still manages to infuse the account with deep, painful emotions. She gave birth to four children, two who still live, and struggles to deal with the idea that her master and lover will not hold true to his promise to her.
Brink lays it all out there with this book. From stories of escaped slaves, to those who were caught during an uprising, tales of the auction block to comparisons to kittens being drowned, there is nothing that is left untouched in this book. The brutal, horrible, degrading way in which the slaves were treated is presented to the reader in its raw form and it's only the beauty of Brink's writing and the infusion of the culture into the book that keeps it from being too hard to read.
One of the things I love about reading is being taken to places I never knew about. This is one of those cases. This is a part of history I knew nothing about, a place I knew nothing about, and a story that should be remembered as a warning to humankind. The story of Philida is one of strength and determination, a young woman standing up against immense odds to take what is her right - to find strength through her own religious beliefs and to learn to live as a human being and not a possession.
April 2, 2013
Philida is a slave at Zandvliet, a winery in South Africa. The story is fictional, but inspired by real people. The author's ancestors owned Philida. It's the 1830s and a few years before emancipation. Philida goes to a slave protector to complain against Francois Brink. Francois is the farm owner's son. He rapes Philida and promises her freedom and shoes. Wearing shoes indicates a person's free status. Philida tolerates him until she realizes his promises to free her are empty. She has four children with Francois. Cornelius arranges Francois to marry a wealthy white woman, but Francois wants to remain with Philida. An enraged Cornelius sells Philida to another farm far away. Before she leaves, Cornelius makes her suffer. It's very painful to read. Philida's new owners aren't brutal towards her. They allow her to keep her children and her cat, Kleinkat. Philida befriends another slave who introduces her to Islam. This is a powerful and heartbreaking story with an uplifting ending.
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August 9, 2012
A story about storytelling - really enjoyed it.
As ever with AB's stuff, very rich in mysticism (nature and man, ghost worlds, etc) and, again, brings to life another interesting juncture in SA history.
The Islamic element of the story felt particularly novel. I also loved the way it reprises characters and events from 'A Dry White Season' - in the process reminding me of just how bloody good that one was. Could have done with losing the cat, mind.
And being a South African novel, it still feels very immediate and relevant to the here-and-now (nation wrestles with its past; changing society, etc) - which is one of the many reasons to get into SA literature. Unlike much UK historical fiction, which is fast becoming as predictable a genre as fucking vampires.
As ever with AB's stuff, very rich in mysticism (nature and man, ghost worlds, etc) and, again, brings to life another interesting juncture in SA history.
The Islamic element of the story felt particularly novel. I also loved the way it reprises characters and events from 'A Dry White Season' - in the process reminding me of just how bloody good that one was. Could have done with losing the cat, mind.
And being a South African novel, it still feels very immediate and relevant to the here-and-now (nation wrestles with its past; changing society, etc) - which is one of the many reasons to get into SA literature. Unlike much UK historical fiction, which is fast becoming as predictable a genre as fucking vampires.
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