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The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda
In 1971, nineteen citizens of Excelsior, a farming community in South Africa's rural Free States, were charged with breaking apartheid's Immorality Act, which forbade sexual relations between blacks and whites on the pretext of avoiding miscegenation. The women were jailed as they awaited trial and their white counterparts were released on bail. In the end, the state withdrew the charges, but the accused women's lives, already complicated, became harder than ever.
Mda tells the story of a family at the heart of the scandal, revealing a country in which apartheid, even as it sought to keep the races apart, concealed interracial liaisons of every kind. Niki, the fallen Madonna, transgresses boundaries for the sake of love; her choices have profound repercussions in the lives of her black son, Viliki, and her mixed-race daughter, Popi, who come of age in the years after the end of apartheid, when freedom allows them - indeed compels them - to figure out their racial identities for themselves. As the story advances to the present, the mixed society of Excelsior comes to suggest South Africa today, a society far more complex - and more dramatic - than conventional notions of black and white will allow.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Zakes Mda
32 books260 followersZakes Mda is the pen name of Zanemvula Kizito Gatyeni Mda, a novelist, poet and playwright.
Although he spent his early childhood in Soweto (where he knew political figures such as Walter and Albertina Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela) he had to finish his education in Lesotho where his father went into exile since 1963. This change of setting also meant a change of language for Mda: from isiXhosa to Sesotho. Consequently Mda preferred to write his first plays in English.
His first play, We Shall Sing for the Fatherland, won the first Amstel Playwright of the Year Award in 1978, a feat he repeated the following year. He worked as a bank clerk, a teacher and in marketing before the publication of We Shall Sing for the Fatherland and Other Plays in 1980 enabled him to be admitted to the Ohio University for a three-year Master's degree in theatre. He completed a Masters Degree in Theatre at Ohio University, after which he obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communication. By 1984 his plays were performed in the USSR, the USA, and Scotland as well as in various parts of southern Africa.
Mda then returned to Lesotho, first working with the Lesotho National Broadcasting Corporation Television Project and then as a lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Lesotho. Between 1985 and 1992 he was director of the Theatre-For-Development Project at the university and founded the Marotholi Travelling Theatre. Together with his students he travelled to villages in remote mountain regions working with local people in creating theatre around their everyday concerns. This work of writing theatre "from the inside" was the theme of his doctoral thesis, the Ph.D degree being conferred on him by the University of Cape Town in 1989.
In the early nineties Mda spent much of his time overseas, he was writer-in-residence at the University of Durham (1991), research fellow at Yale University. He returned for one year to South Africa as Visiting Professor at the School of Dramatic Art at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is presently Professor of Creative Writing at Ohio University.
Although he spent his early childhood in Soweto (where he knew political figures such as Walter and Albertina Sisulu, Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela) he had to finish his education in Lesotho where his father went into exile since 1963. This change of setting also meant a change of language for Mda: from isiXhosa to Sesotho. Consequently Mda preferred to write his first plays in English.
His first play, We Shall Sing for the Fatherland, won the first Amstel Playwright of the Year Award in 1978, a feat he repeated the following year. He worked as a bank clerk, a teacher and in marketing before the publication of We Shall Sing for the Fatherland and Other Plays in 1980 enabled him to be admitted to the Ohio University for a three-year Master's degree in theatre. He completed a Masters Degree in Theatre at Ohio University, after which he obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communication. By 1984 his plays were performed in the USSR, the USA, and Scotland as well as in various parts of southern Africa.
Mda then returned to Lesotho, first working with the Lesotho National Broadcasting Corporation Television Project and then as a lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Lesotho. Between 1985 and 1992 he was director of the Theatre-For-Development Project at the university and founded the Marotholi Travelling Theatre. Together with his students he travelled to villages in remote mountain regions working with local people in creating theatre around their everyday concerns. This work of writing theatre "from the inside" was the theme of his doctoral thesis, the Ph.D degree being conferred on him by the University of Cape Town in 1989.
In the early nineties Mda spent much of his time overseas, he was writer-in-residence at the University of Durham (1991), research fellow at Yale University. He returned for one year to South Africa as Visiting Professor at the School of Dramatic Art at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is presently Professor of Creative Writing at Ohio University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
March 16, 2020
Two things came to my mind after I read this novel (which was recommended to me) and I did some research on the author; firstly here is an African author who deserves the Nobel award for Literature, and secondly, the author is also an excellent painter/artist. The latter is very much evident from this work, the start of chapters and the profound descriptions of painting and its arsenal, so to speak. The author certainly vividly tells his story (ies) and we become highly engrossed. We see the plight of women again here, suppressed but still used as sex objects with the (white) fathers completely uninterested in the products of such 'illicit' unions, the children. It is a brilliant novel written by a man who understands South African history and politics very well. Mda's profile shows that he has published like a dozen or more superb novels over the decades. Perhaps in Africa only the hallowed Ngugi has come near such prolificacy. So why should Mda not be recognised for something like the Nobel award?
February 12, 2016
Zakes Mda is probably the best novelist in Africa today, and certainly the most prolific. This is one of his most impressive works, taking a very close look at how what used to be illicit sex across the colour
lines would impact on a particular community. There is a skillful constant introduction to chapters by reference to drawing. Nikky, Poppy and other characters are very well rounded and convincing. The
author is firmly objective in presenting the characters, white, black, or coloured. It is not only whites who discriminate, we see, as the coloured ones are not the darlings of many blacks too. A very
intelligent, powerful work.
lines would impact on a particular community. There is a skillful constant introduction to chapters by reference to drawing. Nikky, Poppy and other characters are very well rounded and convincing. The
author is firmly objective in presenting the characters, white, black, or coloured. It is not only whites who discriminate, we see, as the coloured ones are not the darlings of many blacks too. A very
intelligent, powerful work.
September 30, 2014
I've never read any books set in South Africa and I truly enjoyed this one. I loved how the opening of each chapter was a description of a painting, and then the painting dissolved into the storyline.
October 15, 2012
Fiction does not always facilitate or augment the understanding of complex realities of time and place. Zakes Mda, however, has achieved this mixture admirably in this novel of his native South Africa. The political events of pre- and post-Apartheid periods take a central place in the story. Yet he manages to avoid being overly heavy on facts and details as he builds the narrative around the impact of one specific event and its aftermath on one small community, Excelsior. He captures the essence of life under Apartheid and the difficulties awaiting all when the regime ends. Old prejudices and tensions remain and the transition to the new SA adds new challenges and conflicts, including among the black political leadership.
Mda uses the 1971 case of the Excelsior 19 as the focus of the first part of his account. A group of white men and black women were charged with violation of the Immorality Act that prohibits intimate relations across race lines. The primary character is Niki, one of the Excelsior 19 women, whose life story is a symbol for this time and place. As a naïve, pretty 18 year old, she attracts the attention of a white Afrikaner who assaults her and keeps pursuing her. Escape into marriage is some protection and also results in her confidence growing. Life is good with a husband and her son, Viliki. Never questioning her role as a servant and second class citizen, a humiliating incident with her white woman boss changes all that.
Her rage leads her to take revenge. Realizing her power as a black beauty and the hold it has over white Afrikaners, she applies it deliberately. The mixed-race daughter Popi is evidence of the hushed-up relationship. Despite the indisputable evidence of children like Popi, the charges against the Excelsior 19 are withdrawn. Still, those implicated and their families have to somehow work out their lives and their various relationships: within families, among neighbours, between Afrikaners, English and Blacks and Coloured. Niki and her children also suffer the consequences. As the narrative of their lives continues, the focus shifts to Popi and her extraordinary beauty. Her features increasingly reveal her parentage to everybody in the community. In the new SA she can play an important role in the community despite the continuing suspicions against mixed race people, who are "not black enough".
Mda does an excellent job of bringing diverse individuals to life. We see them from different angles, we empathize with them and comprehend them as part of a larger reality being is being played out. Nothing is black and white (excuse the pun!), nobody is all "good" or all "bad". Mda acknowledges that Afrikaners maintain their dreams of returning to power and depicts realistically the political conflicts within the black leadership. He introduces two kinds of observers to the novel: Father Claerhout, the Belgian priest-artist living in the region and a knowledgeable "we" narrator. The "trinity" (man, Father, painter), as the Father is referred to, is fascinated by black "madonnas" who sit for him in all their nude loveliness and grace. Niki becomes a preferred subject, mainly because of beautiful young Popi.
The chapters open with the description of one of the trinity's paintings. They create an imaginary world with blue or purple madonnas in lush robes or naked, sitting in yellow corn fields, among surreal bright sunflowers or surrounded by pink and white star like blossoms. The child of the heavy-set full-breasted Madonna is of a lighter shade of brown and with delicate features. Sometimes other elements are added, creating portraits of life in the rural community. Semi-abstract and dreamlike, the paintings are reminiscent of van Gogh. They are always a lead in to the chapter and often the protagonists literally walk off the canvas. The transition between bold imagination and reality is fluid. We, the reader, follow with curiosity and emotion. To complement the trinity's visions, the "we" observer steps in to reflect on people and events. Assumed to be witnesses of Popi's generation, they follow her closely and comment in particular on the attention and mixed feelings she draws in the community. Sometimes critics, sometimes voyeurs, they establish the connections between the paintings and the reality of this microcosm that represents South Africa.
Mda's novel is wide-ranging and multifaceted. While it moves fast through time and events, it allows pauses to ponder scenes and portraits of life and invites reflection of decisive historical events in modern South Africa. You will come away enriched and keen to read more by this remarkable autho
Mda uses the 1971 case of the Excelsior 19 as the focus of the first part of his account. A group of white men and black women were charged with violation of the Immorality Act that prohibits intimate relations across race lines. The primary character is Niki, one of the Excelsior 19 women, whose life story is a symbol for this time and place. As a naïve, pretty 18 year old, she attracts the attention of a white Afrikaner who assaults her and keeps pursuing her. Escape into marriage is some protection and also results in her confidence growing. Life is good with a husband and her son, Viliki. Never questioning her role as a servant and second class citizen, a humiliating incident with her white woman boss changes all that.
Her rage leads her to take revenge. Realizing her power as a black beauty and the hold it has over white Afrikaners, she applies it deliberately. The mixed-race daughter Popi is evidence of the hushed-up relationship. Despite the indisputable evidence of children like Popi, the charges against the Excelsior 19 are withdrawn. Still, those implicated and their families have to somehow work out their lives and their various relationships: within families, among neighbours, between Afrikaners, English and Blacks and Coloured. Niki and her children also suffer the consequences. As the narrative of their lives continues, the focus shifts to Popi and her extraordinary beauty. Her features increasingly reveal her parentage to everybody in the community. In the new SA she can play an important role in the community despite the continuing suspicions against mixed race people, who are "not black enough".
Mda does an excellent job of bringing diverse individuals to life. We see them from different angles, we empathize with them and comprehend them as part of a larger reality being is being played out. Nothing is black and white (excuse the pun!), nobody is all "good" or all "bad". Mda acknowledges that Afrikaners maintain their dreams of returning to power and depicts realistically the political conflicts within the black leadership. He introduces two kinds of observers to the novel: Father Claerhout, the Belgian priest-artist living in the region and a knowledgeable "we" narrator. The "trinity" (man, Father, painter), as the Father is referred to, is fascinated by black "madonnas" who sit for him in all their nude loveliness and grace. Niki becomes a preferred subject, mainly because of beautiful young Popi.
The chapters open with the description of one of the trinity's paintings. They create an imaginary world with blue or purple madonnas in lush robes or naked, sitting in yellow corn fields, among surreal bright sunflowers or surrounded by pink and white star like blossoms. The child of the heavy-set full-breasted Madonna is of a lighter shade of brown and with delicate features. Sometimes other elements are added, creating portraits of life in the rural community. Semi-abstract and dreamlike, the paintings are reminiscent of van Gogh. They are always a lead in to the chapter and often the protagonists literally walk off the canvas. The transition between bold imagination and reality is fluid. We, the reader, follow with curiosity and emotion. To complement the trinity's visions, the "we" observer steps in to reflect on people and events. Assumed to be witnesses of Popi's generation, they follow her closely and comment in particular on the attention and mixed feelings she draws in the community. Sometimes critics, sometimes voyeurs, they establish the connections between the paintings and the reality of this microcosm that represents South Africa.
Mda's novel is wide-ranging and multifaceted. While it moves fast through time and events, it allows pauses to ponder scenes and portraits of life and invites reflection of decisive historical events in modern South Africa. You will come away enriched and keen to read more by this remarkable autho
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2015
Magnificent novel centred on the charming small town of Excelsor in South Africa. Sex across the colour line - with invariable consequences
March 1, 2025
I had a colleague who was a huge fan of Zakes Mda's literature. She always carried one of his books with her. Intrigued, I looked him up. An article I read, probably five or six years ago, portrayed him almost as a literary deity. I think from that moment, I considered him one of the greats, even before reading his work.
It's interesting how few South African audiobooks I've encountered. I mostly listen to Nigerian audiobooks. I'm trying to figure out why there seems to be such a disparity, but I want to avoid falling into the 'Nigerians are everywhere' stereotype.
Speaking of audiobooks, I have mixed feelings about 'The Madonna of Excelsior.' The narrator's reading and accents were excellent, but the pronunciation was quite poor. Also, the writing style took some getting used to.
The use of a first-person plural narrator in this book presented a significant challenge for me. I found the 'we' perspective, particularly when combined with detailed accounts of private conversations between characters, to be jarring and ultimately, highly disliked.
It's interesting how few South African audiobooks I've encountered. I mostly listen to Nigerian audiobooks. I'm trying to figure out why there seems to be such a disparity, but I want to avoid falling into the 'Nigerians are everywhere' stereotype.
Speaking of audiobooks, I have mixed feelings about 'The Madonna of Excelsior.' The narrator's reading and accents were excellent, but the pronunciation was quite poor. Also, the writing style took some getting used to.
The use of a first-person plural narrator in this book presented a significant challenge for me. I found the 'we' perspective, particularly when combined with detailed accounts of private conversations between characters, to be jarring and ultimately, highly disliked.
April 7, 2019
This book is set in South Africa during apartheid. I liked the journey of the characters, but ultimately, this was just okay for me. I deducted a star for some of the extra flowery writing. I don't care for the wordiness when it comes to colors of things, from skin, sky, clothes etc. I cringe a little when this is abused and it was here.
There were a lot tragic and sad events in this book. It was heartbreaking what was endured and why. I thought the author portrayed his characters well as well as the events of the time....but the flowery nonsense was hard to ignore.
There were a lot tragic and sad events in this book. It was heartbreaking what was endured and why. I thought the author portrayed his characters well as well as the events of the time....but the flowery nonsense was hard to ignore.
January 3, 2025
Madonna of Excelsior was a deeply triggering read for me, having grown up in an apartheid-era South Africa and witnessed the transition to democracy in my teens. The book transcends fiction, serving more as a powerful reflection on the enduring effects of apartheid—especially the ongoing discrimination and economic inequality faced by non-white communities. For South Africans, this novel is essential reading. It offers valuable perspective, closure, and plenty of material for thought-provoking debate, even if it’s not always easy to digest.
February 18, 2010
A truly artistic tale told during the end of Apartheid in South Africa. During a time when it was illegal for whites to have sex with blacks, one of the protagonists, Niki, is put on trial and spends time in prison for giving birth to a blue eyed daughter Popi. The story then follows Niki, her son Viliki and Popi through the end of apartheid and post apartheid worlds. All the while Popi tries to find her place in the world, never feeling totally black, and never white.
Although the story is amazing, the beauty is in the way Mda tells the story. He brilliantly mends together descriptions of painting of the characters with stories of the characters lives, creating a vivid picture of the Rainbow Nation.
Although the story is amazing, the beauty is in the way Mda tells the story. He brilliantly mends together descriptions of painting of the characters with stories of the characters lives, creating a vivid picture of the Rainbow Nation.
January 8, 2021
I keep waffling between 2 and 3 stars on this one. So 2.5 it is.
A friend of mine who got her doctorate in African literature recommended 4 books to me. This is the 3rd one I’ve read. The first two were excellent. This one was alright.
Once again I found myself learning a part of true African history that I was taught nothing about in school, so I was thankful for the broadening of my knowledge.
I found the character of Popi specifically to be very compelling.
The breakdown for me was everything related to the paintings and the trinity that started each chapter. I found all those parts confusing and unnecessary. 🤷🏼♀️ They were written in such a way that they bled into the main plot and it would become confusing when a painting was being described and when actual events were. The narration felt off as well, as it was clearly an unidentified member of the village who seemed to represent them collectively. It just felt off to me.
A friend of mine who got her doctorate in African literature recommended 4 books to me. This is the 3rd one I’ve read. The first two were excellent. This one was alright.
Once again I found myself learning a part of true African history that I was taught nothing about in school, so I was thankful for the broadening of my knowledge.
I found the character of Popi specifically to be very compelling.
The breakdown for me was everything related to the paintings and the trinity that started each chapter. I found all those parts confusing and unnecessary. 🤷🏼♀️ They were written in such a way that they bled into the main plot and it would become confusing when a painting was being described and when actual events were. The narration felt off as well, as it was clearly an unidentified member of the village who seemed to represent them collectively. It just felt off to me.
September 20, 2019
This was a fascinating look at recent South African history. It would be a great book to pair with Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, as it’s a fictional account based on an actual trial of white men and black women having children during apartheid. It mostly follows one particular family, particularly the daughter.
It was a bit of a slow burn for me - fascinating but it took me quite a while to read.
It was a bit of a slow burn for me - fascinating but it took me quite a while to read.
January 22, 2021
Masterful. I loved this book.
May 30, 2021
A novel that has a little bit of everything, almost -- a sex scandal, sibling rivalry, political chicanery, and believable characters. And so much of it is true, I read it in the newspaper 50 years ago.
It is set in a real small town in the Free State province of South Africa, and is based on real events, so the usual disclaimer about the characters not resembling any real persons, living or dead, is somewhat differently worded. Though the events are a matter of public record, the characters are fictitious. But the fictitious characters do resemble real people. And the book gives a microcosm of South Africa in the last three decades of the 20th century. Excelsior is a real town, and it really was rocked by a sex scandal in the early 1970s. The neighbouring towns, mentioned in the book, are real and I have been to, or through some of them.
And at least one of the characters is real, Father Frans Claerhout, a Roman Catholic and artist who lived at Tweespruit just south of Excelsior, and descriptions of whose paintings at the beginning of each chapter form a linking motif for the story.
Popi Pule has two half-brothers; one, Viliki Pule, is black, and the other, Tjaart Cronje, is white, and all three were born in apartheid South Africa, much of whose legislation was calculated to prevent precisely those kinds of relationships. Viliki and Puke's mother Niki had been Tjaart's nanny when he was small, and she is the eponymous Madonna of Excelsior, and had been a model for some of Father Frans Claerhout's paintings.
People sometimes ask, what was South Africa like during apartheid, and during and after the end of apartheid, and in this book Zakes Mda nails it. If someone from another country was coming to South Africa from another country, and wanted an introduction to South African life, and history, and social relations, then I would recommend this book. Since it is fiction, it doesn't have all the facts, but it does tell the truth about South Africa, the unvarnished truth. If you want to know what South Africa is really like, read this book!
It is set in a real small town in the Free State province of South Africa, and is based on real events, so the usual disclaimer about the characters not resembling any real persons, living or dead, is somewhat differently worded. Though the events are a matter of public record, the characters are fictitious. But the fictitious characters do resemble real people. And the book gives a microcosm of South Africa in the last three decades of the 20th century. Excelsior is a real town, and it really was rocked by a sex scandal in the early 1970s. The neighbouring towns, mentioned in the book, are real and I have been to, or through some of them.
And at least one of the characters is real, Father Frans Claerhout, a Roman Catholic and artist who lived at Tweespruit just south of Excelsior, and descriptions of whose paintings at the beginning of each chapter form a linking motif for the story.
Popi Pule has two half-brothers; one, Viliki Pule, is black, and the other, Tjaart Cronje, is white, and all three were born in apartheid South Africa, much of whose legislation was calculated to prevent precisely those kinds of relationships. Viliki and Puke's mother Niki had been Tjaart's nanny when he was small, and she is the eponymous Madonna of Excelsior, and had been a model for some of Father Frans Claerhout's paintings.
People sometimes ask, what was South Africa like during apartheid, and during and after the end of apartheid, and in this book Zakes Mda nails it. If someone from another country was coming to South Africa from another country, and wanted an introduction to South African life, and history, and social relations, then I would recommend this book. Since it is fiction, it doesn't have all the facts, but it does tell the truth about South Africa, the unvarnished truth. If you want to know what South Africa is really like, read this book!
April 13, 2022
"Truly all these things flow from the sins of our mothers." - Zakes Mda
🍓🍓🍓
Merging fiction with the history of South Africa; a history so many of us want to forget, isn't an easy task. But in The Madonna of Excelsior, Zakes Mda made it look so effortless.
As he recreates and reimagines the events that broke out in Excelsior (Free State) in the early 1970s, Mda gives us believable fictional characters that help us revisit a sex scandal that changed the lives of many. A scandal that affected the lives of 19 citizens of Excelsior who broke the Immorality Act; an Act that did not allow sex across race lines.
At the centre of the story is Niki; the fallen Madonna and her family. We journey with them as they deal with the consequences of living in apartheid and post apartheid South Africa. We travel with them as they come to terms with the fact that Niki slept with a white man; Popi's father.
Popi; the coloured girl; who wasn't black enough but was also not white. The product of the sins of her mother.
🍓🍓🍓
In the story we also get to learn that even after Apartheid ended, transitioning to the new South Africa had many challenges.
🍓🍓🍓
I'd really love to see this book adapted into a film. It's so relevant and important. I really can't believe I've been sleeping on Zakes Mda. I'm so glad that I finally saw the light and picked up this book.
Some people might find the poetic & flowery writing a bit overwhelming at first, but through the descriptions provided by Mda you'll realise that this man deserves all his flowers.
What makes this book such a masterpiece is the writing. How chapters can start as paintings and then they flow so fluidly into the storyline. How history can be fictionalized in 268 pages, and all you want at the end is the next book by the author... This is me right now. I want more and I'm in awe, and once again I can't believe I've been sleeping on Mr Mda.
Someone said this is a great contribution to African Literature, and I totally agree.
🍓🍓🍓
Merging fiction with the history of South Africa; a history so many of us want to forget, isn't an easy task. But in The Madonna of Excelsior, Zakes Mda made it look so effortless.
As he recreates and reimagines the events that broke out in Excelsior (Free State) in the early 1970s, Mda gives us believable fictional characters that help us revisit a sex scandal that changed the lives of many. A scandal that affected the lives of 19 citizens of Excelsior who broke the Immorality Act; an Act that did not allow sex across race lines.
At the centre of the story is Niki; the fallen Madonna and her family. We journey with them as they deal with the consequences of living in apartheid and post apartheid South Africa. We travel with them as they come to terms with the fact that Niki slept with a white man; Popi's father.
Popi; the coloured girl; who wasn't black enough but was also not white. The product of the sins of her mother.
🍓🍓🍓
In the story we also get to learn that even after Apartheid ended, transitioning to the new South Africa had many challenges.
🍓🍓🍓
I'd really love to see this book adapted into a film. It's so relevant and important. I really can't believe I've been sleeping on Zakes Mda. I'm so glad that I finally saw the light and picked up this book.
Some people might find the poetic & flowery writing a bit overwhelming at first, but through the descriptions provided by Mda you'll realise that this man deserves all his flowers.
What makes this book such a masterpiece is the writing. How chapters can start as paintings and then they flow so fluidly into the storyline. How history can be fictionalized in 268 pages, and all you want at the end is the next book by the author... This is me right now. I want more and I'm in awe, and once again I can't believe I've been sleeping on Mr Mda.
Someone said this is a great contribution to African Literature, and I totally agree.
June 12, 2007
Most times, books talking about South Africa either show the wealthy, fancy, stuck-up white side of South Africa, or the stereotypical native, out in the grassland black native. But The Madonna of Excelsior shows both sides, the inbetween.
It's no surprise the rich are white and the poor are black. But what about the ones they call "colored"? The ones who are both black and white? This book explores that.
Zakes Mda is an amazingly detailed writer, his words helping the reader see everything he speaks of in perfect clarity. The only thing that bothered me about his writing, or at least this book, was the description of a painting at the beginning of each chapter. But that's solely a personal opinion, because while it sometimes helped push the story along, most of the time I felt it pulled me from it.
At times I felt the story didn't really have a plot to it, it's more of a character driven book rather than plot driven, and even then the characters didn't do too much driving.
Still there was something that kept me reading and enthralled. Maybe it was Mda's beautiful words or his attention to detail. It could have been his characters and their journey to better themselves and the world around them. But whatever it was, something grabbed at me and kept me reading.
I warn you that this may be one of those cup of tea books: it's either your cup of tea or it isn't. Still give it a chance.
It's no surprise the rich are white and the poor are black. But what about the ones they call "colored"? The ones who are both black and white? This book explores that.
Zakes Mda is an amazingly detailed writer, his words helping the reader see everything he speaks of in perfect clarity. The only thing that bothered me about his writing, or at least this book, was the description of a painting at the beginning of each chapter. But that's solely a personal opinion, because while it sometimes helped push the story along, most of the time I felt it pulled me from it.
At times I felt the story didn't really have a plot to it, it's more of a character driven book rather than plot driven, and even then the characters didn't do too much driving.
Still there was something that kept me reading and enthralled. Maybe it was Mda's beautiful words or his attention to detail. It could have been his characters and their journey to better themselves and the world around them. But whatever it was, something grabbed at me and kept me reading.
I warn you that this may be one of those cup of tea books: it's either your cup of tea or it isn't. Still give it a chance.
October 25, 2010
i enjoy reading the book by Mr Mda, lately i have become a fan of his work.The book is set in the apartheid era when blacks where not allowed to mingle with the white foks.reading the book i was able to identify few themes.Forgiveness, self-acceptance. forgiveness- would come in the form of Niki coming into terms with her past and the guilt she had when her daughter was batlling with acceptance. And self acceptance would be Popi, she had difficulty accepting who she was and the fact that she was different from the black girls in her community and she looked alot like the 'whites'. She was costantly teased about her hair and her appearence. this made her resent especially her hair because they were a constant remainder that she was different. As the novel was ending she was able to love,appreciate who she is. even her mother was able to observe this sudden change in her daughter:" I am so happy that atlast you are so free of shame about being coloured ..."(mda,2002:260). The acceptance that took place in Popi allowed Niki the mother to forgive and move on, she was no longer afraid for her daughter. Niki: " For along time, I felt guilty that i had failed you... that i had made you coloured!Every time they mocked and insulted you, it ate my heart and increased my guilt".The novel is for any one wanting to know how ordinary families like that of Pule and Cronje delt with issues that had risen becuase of they behaviour.
January 30, 2019
This was a bland book with cardboard characters that were moved around in obvious ways to stand for certain generalized experiences of South Africans living through the late apartheid era, and on into the post-apartheid era. The blend here between fact and fiction did not take off--the story makes weird and unnecessary changes from the facts of Excelsior, while the fiction feels like heavy dough that never rises. The book disappointed me especially because I really enjoyed Mda's Ways of Dying, which was in every way a surprising and marvelous first novel.
August 30, 2016
A seriously good read. I was a bit worried towards the end that the narrative might end in an unsatisfactory and cheesy improbability, but my fears were unfounded. I will eagerly grab the next Zakes Mda work that I can lay my hands and eyes upon.
July 25, 2011
Still want to read more....and it's worth a visit to Excelsior: Free State at its best!
July 17, 2021
A bit weird to notice but it’s nice to see a woman with leg/armpit hair and not bow down to pressure to shave them.
July 19, 2021
My English teacher recommended I read this and another book and choose one to do for my EE. I didn’t manage to read this then and ended up doing the other one (July’s People by Nadine Gordimer) and really savouring it. So when I saw this in a bookshop in Johannesburg it felt like a moment to re-visit that moment as an 18 year old, enthusiastic about words and history. (Not too different to now). Reading this while in South Africa at a time with protests about democracy, about pride, Ubabe and the aftermath of apartheid was strange. It was stranger to read it as I had COVID, a disease that truly ravages the body but also ravages our societies to the point where inequality is unavoidable. It was so slow in the beginning and I wanted to give up on it. (the book and cover) But a lot of it was, I want to say the word is graphological but I know it’s not. The story centres around the madonna as the subject of a painting. The chapters all usually start by describing this series of paintings, with members of the settlement in Excelsior posing for the artist. The images are usually both sorrowful but celestial as I imagine them. Watercolours that bleed into each other, haloes over the heads of disenfranchised women subject to both racism and sexual exploitation. How the body is always a terrain, and therefore susceptible to the destructive hands of men. The beginning was written truly by a man, an emphasis on big breasts over and over again. After wandering away from this trap the writing was able to gain nuance in a way that I really appreciated. I have rarely read or thought about South Africa in that liminal moment, the book traverses from the depths of apartheid to democracy and hovers in that moment in between. Funny to think about racism and discrimination as something that lingers rather than crumbles as soon as it is denounced as maybe more of us would like to think. Which brings me back to how I felt being in Jo’burg recently, cursed is the word that comes most to me. Not in an accusatory way but as a country it feels cursed. As though spectres from the past have not been exorcised, the pain and suffering of numbers has not been acknowledged. When this happens it begins to tinge everything to the point where there is a stench of unresolved with trauma everywhere you go. You can see it in crowds of men gathered around the fire in Hillbrow, in the faces in the mall. This time being in Johannesburg felt like something was stewing - like there was always something that people wanted to say but either didn’t have the words or social currency to and so kept quiet. The protests felt like that language reaching the tongue and coming up and all at once. Reading this alongside Disgrace reinforced that there is no resolution, that as a country South Africa only has its own reflection to deal with, a cracked mirror it has to repair again and again. Doomed to its own fate if it does not resign to it. I wonder what my teacher wanted me to get from it.
February 3, 2021
Mda's creates vivid and abstract imagery and scenes that flow deliberately and haphazardly across the pages. Every word, every description, so carefully placed in such a controlled manner to create an ever flowing sense of emotions and world building.
He skims through real events, clear in the readers mind, but abstract in its portrayal. His words flow over time and space, never faltering, until years, and moments and characters have been born, lived, breathed and died before you. Stereotypes inform his characters, and his characters challenge those stereotypes. One dimensional characters allowing the development of those the reader becomes bonded to, needed if only for their resentment, or amusement. The narration skipping seamlessly from characters to spectators and back within paragraphs and moments. Only in the last few pages did I find some disappointment in the resolution of certain characters, namely Popi, where I was left feeling that a man had clearly written this female character. Which was disappointing, as throughout the novel, Mda's has captured the female voice so clearly that not once did I think of the author as a He, but rather as a creator, an understanding soul of people and their inner turmoil.
His chapter headings are as poetic as they come. His descriptions as beautiful or chaotic as they needed to be. Any negative commentary, a necessity. He comments on black and white, and coloured, alike. Never shying away from hard stances, or delicately pointing out small injustices.
Beautiful, captivating and challenging.
Found in a secondhand store (Riebeek-Kasteel; Western Cape).
He skims through real events, clear in the readers mind, but abstract in its portrayal. His words flow over time and space, never faltering, until years, and moments and characters have been born, lived, breathed and died before you. Stereotypes inform his characters, and his characters challenge those stereotypes. One dimensional characters allowing the development of those the reader becomes bonded to, needed if only for their resentment, or amusement. The narration skipping seamlessly from characters to spectators and back within paragraphs and moments. Only in the last few pages did I find some disappointment in the resolution of certain characters, namely Popi, where I was left feeling that a man had clearly written this female character. Which was disappointing, as throughout the novel, Mda's has captured the female voice so clearly that not once did I think of the author as a He, but rather as a creator, an understanding soul of people and their inner turmoil.
His chapter headings are as poetic as they come. His descriptions as beautiful or chaotic as they needed to be. Any negative commentary, a necessity. He comments on black and white, and coloured, alike. Never shying away from hard stances, or delicately pointing out small injustices.
Beautiful, captivating and challenging.
Found in a secondhand store (Riebeek-Kasteel; Western Cape).
February 2, 2022
An interesting glimpse into a recent past that I think a lot of people don’t know about. I certainly did not know much before experiencing this novel.
From where did he get all that power, to re-create what had already been created?
I think this book worked to capture a true picture of reality for those living in South Africa at the time of the apartheid and the shifts afterwards. We don’t see high-and-mighty individuals, we see “normal” people dealing with the struggles among their community which has been affected. Pain and harsh reality contrasted to quiet joys within their families. We see anger and despair and acceptance.
I noticed and actually liked that some of the characters here were capable of hypocrisy and the complex inner choices that were made. It really depicted how life is not black-and-white and there is sometimes no clear cut way to navigate situations. We end up where we end up and try to find as much joy in it as we can.
Overall, seeing Niki and Popi grow and flourish was very fun to read. The writing is very descriptive and I could picture both the madonna illustrations and the real world settings Mda utilized. It won’t be for everyone, either due to its style or its intensity, but The Madonna of Excelsior is no doubt a great contribution to African literature.
From where did he get all that power, to re-create what had already been created?
I think this book worked to capture a true picture of reality for those living in South Africa at the time of the apartheid and the shifts afterwards. We don’t see high-and-mighty individuals, we see “normal” people dealing with the struggles among their community which has been affected. Pain and harsh reality contrasted to quiet joys within their families. We see anger and despair and acceptance.
I noticed and actually liked that some of the characters here were capable of hypocrisy and the complex inner choices that were made. It really depicted how life is not black-and-white and there is sometimes no clear cut way to navigate situations. We end up where we end up and try to find as much joy in it as we can.
Overall, seeing Niki and Popi grow and flourish was very fun to read. The writing is very descriptive and I could picture both the madonna illustrations and the real world settings Mda utilized. It won’t be for everyone, either due to its style or its intensity, but The Madonna of Excelsior is no doubt a great contribution to African literature.
January 5, 2025
This book was a hard read, especially the sexual violence Black women were experiencing and having to endure as a means of survival. The incorporation of the description of paintings were quite interesting at the start of each chapter, and if you have a very imaginative mind you are able to bring to life these paintings and how they are a reference point to what is unfolding in each chapter. Following the lives of the Pule family and the progress of their lives made it essier to relate to the various themes addressed; race and racial identity, sexual violence, and life in the township and what is our understanding of liberation and progress. I enjoyed reading this book because the Free State is a province next to my birth province which is the Northern Cape, and much of what is being articulated in this book I can relate to aspects of the Northern Cape, although unique in its own socio-economic realities.
January 27, 2026
Maybe 3.5 starts because it was a slow start for me, but then I started speeding through it. I found myself to be very protective of Popi as she grew up, and offended for her at rudeness from the community. I didn't find much value added in the introductions of each chapter being painting descriptions other than appreciating the authors attention to detail. I picked up this book because I loved the cover and the title but found myself invested in the geography of South Africa and committed to correct pronunciations. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but none of them felt superfluous. I loved Popi's strength and how completely unfocused I was on the lack of romance for her and Viliki. Anything found to be confusing on my end is due to my lack of knowledge, and does not at all reflect a miss from the author. Overall, I really really enjoyed this and I'm excited to have this on my shelf forever and to bring it up in conversation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2019
what i love about my South African lit class is that i get to read books that i never would have even heard of otherwise. this one follows the townspeople of Excelsior in 1971 South Africa where the Immorality Acts forbids sexual activity between black and white people. when a scandal rocks the town, everyone gets involved and their behavior shows the true effects of the discrimination and separations of the Apartheid era. the story delves into the culture of rape and prostitution of black women by white men under Apartheid law and rly shows you how the system beat down on black women for the crimes of white men. the story was really gripping for the first half while we were going thru the case of the Excelsior 19 but the second half was boring and political and just not where i expected the story to go. lots of flowery language and artistic expression if you’re into that
October 15, 2022
3.5 stars. The writing in this is beautifully rich and lush and it’s possible to just spend time wallowing in the prose. It’s also a fantastically interesting story, which starts with South Africa”s Immorality Act and finishes some time after the end of apartheid. Along the way it takes no prisoners - no political party or movement (or person) comes away particularly unscathed as the joy of the post apartheid era quickly turns to disillusionment. However, for some reason, things didn’t quite come together for me and I wonder if maybe the beautiful prose somehow distanced the characters from the reader as I struggled to get emotionally involved with any of them. Despite this I did still enjoy it - it’s certainly an interesting and different novel and I would love to read more of Zda’s work.
July 11, 2018
Set in South Africa, the novel is based on true events that occurred during apartheid. The protagonist shows us what life was like for a black woman during that time, how she was raped, used, and abused by white men. She bore a "coloured" daughter by the husband of a woman she worked for, caring for their son, who of course was the brother to her daughter. She was arrested and charged under the Immorality Laws. Her daughter grew up in political opposition to her half-brother. The protagonist was a strong, loving woman and made for an interesting read. The style of the book is also interesting as brief parts of the book narrate paintings and their subjects. The book itself is dedicated to a bird in a painting.
January 8, 2020
I really liked the book though I felt it was out of my league in terms of the usage of the language. I am used to reading about what happened in the townships during apartheid and post-apartheid. I love the microscopic view of Excelsior, as it was a farm. The author covered various themes that were prevalent in that time like politics, power struggle, womanhood, motherhood, relationships and "taboo" relationships, racial segregation and stereotypes. It is a reflection of what was happening in SA. The characters were each unique and facing various struggles which the author was able to draw the reader in and develop throughout the book. It is a well structured book with magnificent storytelling. I would recommend it to anyone :)
April 27, 2026
Tender is the word that comes to mind. Deeply empathetic, even to the characters that least deserve it.
One thing that fascinates me about this book structurally is the way the narrator is aligned with the local Black community, but the chapters are framed through the device of paintings that are diagetically painted by a white priest. Ultimately, I feel this tension in the framing reflects the narrative’s larger interest in the tension of post-Apartheid society.
If I have one complaint, it’s that the conclusion overplays the sentimentality to make a point about the possibility of reconciliation on a personal level. While I’m not sure it’s entirely earned, in a story that is largely about the reality that people must find a way to live together, I can’t say it’s out of place.
One thing that fascinates me about this book structurally is the way the narrator is aligned with the local Black community, but the chapters are framed through the device of paintings that are diagetically painted by a white priest. Ultimately, I feel this tension in the framing reflects the narrative’s larger interest in the tension of post-Apartheid society.
If I have one complaint, it’s that the conclusion overplays the sentimentality to make a point about the possibility of reconciliation on a personal level. While I’m not sure it’s entirely earned, in a story that is largely about the reality that people must find a way to live together, I can’t say it’s out of place.
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