Mahala

by Chris Barnard

Afrikaans

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Christiaan Johan Barnard, known as Chris Barnard, was a South African author and movie scriptwriter.
He was known for writing Afrikaans novels, novellas, columns, youth novels, short stories, plays, radio dramas, film scripts and television dramas.

Barnard is viewed as one of the more important figures of the movement of the “Sestigers” (Sixty-ers) in Afrikaans literature.

After completing his matric, he did a BA at the University of Pretoria where he was the editor of several university magazines. Later he worked as a journalist at different newspapers and magazines, including Die Vaderland, Dagbreek & Sondagnuus, Die Brandwag en Huisgenoot in addition to working as a publisher. When he got married to the moviemaker Katinka Heyns in 1978 he also got involved in the film industry.

Reviews

[Jean-Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The deeper I got into this book the more it reminded me of Joan Didion's Run River, which was unexpected. Only instead of the ranches of California's Central Valley we have the sugar plantations of Natal (South Africa). From there into Mozambique, where the novel's protagonist and his wife are haunted by secrets past and present. The atmosphere is oppressive and claustrophobic and much is left up to inference and implication. There's a murder—unresolved—and a mask, and an ending left open to interpretation. The novel explores fear, and complicity, and may require taking a college course in order to properly grasp its meaning. Originally written in Afrikaans, it was translated in English in 2009. Muriel Spark's Africa stories, set in neighboring Zimbabwe, along with Graham Greene's A Burnt-Out Case, also came to mind while reading. In his later years Barnard was well known in the South African film and television industry, but long before that there was Mahala.

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ons het hierdie boek in 1994 op kampus behandel, en buiten die feit dat maskers 'n belangrike rol gespeel het, kon ek niks daarvan onthou nie! Totdat ek dit vandag weer deurgelees en waardeer het:

Chris Barnard se bekroonde boek is vol simboliek. Die leser moet self heelwat dinkwerk doen om te kan uitwerk wat presies gebeur het – en dít gebeur eers heel aan die einde van die verhaal wanneer Max dink: Jy raak oud, jy raak te diep weg in jou self, jy begin die binne aansien vir die buite. En toe weer: maar daar is nie meer baie buite nie; wat het oorgebly? (bl. 129) Wanneer hy besef daar het bittermin oorgebly en dat hy vir eens en vir altyd iets wil doen wat vir homself betekenis sal hê, is die gevolge tragies. Dit begin alles wanneer Max vir Mália ontmoet – ’n naam wat amper té naby aan die Mahala is (om nie eens van “maalstroom” te praat nie!). Laasgenoemde is die naam van die posboot wat mense vanaf Caipemba af rivier-af vervoer met hulle kruiderniersware e.d.m. en dan weer teruggaan. Die rivier kan as simbool van die lewe beskou word waar Max dikwels met Rodrigue (die kaptein) gaan gesels oor alles en nog wat. Die laaste keer dat Max met Rodrigue gaan gesels is wanneer hy vir die eerste keer sedert hy Rodrigue nege jaar tevore ontmoet het, ’n pot skaak teen hom verloor. Dit is nie net speletjies nie, maar sprekend van die uiteinde van die verhaal.

Maskers kom ook by herhaling in die verhaal voor: Max versamel hulle, maar wanneer hy vir Mália ontmoet het sy ’n masker wat hy eenvoudig móét besit. Hy meen dis die gesig van sy grootste vyand, Ritter. Sy vrou, An, spreek egter die mening uit dat dit Max self is – die leser word tot die laaste nippertjie hieroor in die duister gelaat. Hierdie masker blyk oë te hê wat werklik kan sien, al is die oogkaste leeg. Dit is ook sprekend van die waarde wat aan hierdie kunswerke geheg word. Dit is vir Mália só kosbaar, sy het dit amper nie aan Max verkoop nie (en hy het so te sê die geld “op haar afgedwing”). Vir Max is dit só belangrik dat hy sy hele beursie daarvoor leegmaak en nie eintlik weet hoekom nie. Die gemaskerde lewe wat hy en An voer is egter die spil waarom die verhaal draai. As dinge tussen hom en An beter sou gegaan het, d.w.s. om mekaar sonder maskers te benader, sou die verhaal heel waarskynlik op ’n ander manier geëindig het. Hierdie feit kom tot uiting wanneer Max ten einde laas ’n glas in die masker “se gesig” gooi en dit “dood” teen die muur afgly.

[Friends of the Brooklyn Library]

Josine Blom: Fear was already such a part of him, that he scarcely recognized it as such. It was in his careful, almost prowling way of walking; in his restless, suspicious eyes; in his extraordinary soft voice; in his occasional stammering.
Delport + his closest friend Ritter were involved in a crime 9 years ago, although it is not clear how it really happened. Ritter is sent to prison and he and Ritter's wife An, flee t a remote part of Mozambique where he becomes a ranger. There he meets a girl who is in possession of wooden mask with an uncanny resemblance to Ritter. This rekindles his fear of Ritter, not knowing if he is released from prison and coming after him.
Rodrigue is the captain of Mahala, the river boat Delport uses to travel to Coupemba to replenish his supplies. Rodrigue is somewhat of a philosopher and tries to explain the meaning of the word Mahala.
"Dis 'n onverstaanbare woord, Dis soos lewe. Dis soos 'n hele wereld. Om die horison te wil inhaal - om te voet vir die son te wil vlug - om die goeie te wil doen en die kwade te... Dis so iets."
"Die roman gaan nie oor die besonderhede van Delport se skuld nie, maar oor 'n ervaar v.d lewe as 'n onbegrypbare misstap waaraan jy per definisie aandadig is"
Very complicated.

[Cecily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ñ Vreemde ervaring om die minste te sê...
Ek maak nou maar my eie verduidelikings op sodat dit vir my kan sin maak.

[Jan Bekker · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) This book was published in 1971, not 1981.
2) I've seen reviews on other sites that the location is somewhere in the South African bush, but that's incorrect. Although not explicitly stated, this story takes place in colonial Portuguese Mozambique. There is reference to escudo banknotes, which was the currency of Mozambique before independence in 1975.

[Marie-Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ek moet sê, die boek het my verras. Ek sal dit oor 'n jaar of so weer lees. Dit is 'n boke wat jou laat dink. Mens lees dit nie net om te lees nie. Daar is soveel dieper betekenisse aan die boek.

[Willem Myburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read anything in Afrikaans in ages and this book was just amazing. Dark and mysterious with such beautiful descriptions of Africa.

[Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uitstekende skepping van deurgaanse onheilspellende atmosfeer. Meesterlike aanwending van taal.