Memorandum: A Story with Paintings

by Marlene and van Zyl Adriaan van Niekerk

In this unique book the text and visual images offer parallel narratives that resonate poignantly with each other.The paintings quietly reflect the alienating experience of hospitalisation. The story is a gripping account by a lonely man who is diagnosed with cancer just before his retirement. The night before a scheduled operation he starts writnng a "memorandum" about a strange conversation he was party to during his previous stay in hospital, and the profound effect it hads on his life. Durinfg the act of writing he comes to a life-changing decision.

Genres: Fiction

124 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Älskade här är jag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Högst stilfull roman, vari en stel och stram form (fotnoter, appendix, tabeller) och dito berättarröst liksom förmänskligas och känsliggörs av vackra och stämningsfulla oljemålningar ur Adrian van Zyyls Sjukhusserien 2004-2006, samt av den berättelse som konstrueras av Läsaren, den som uppstår då Texten möter vår erfarenhet, så att romanen vid avslutad läsning, med Värdigheten intakt, ändock uppvisar en ångestriden själ, ett blottlagt bröst.

[Anemari Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briljant. Geen ander woord daarvoor nie.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant - like all her books. not quite up to the standard of Agaat, but redolent of all that we've been through in the last year. Great paintings too. Warning: this is one that we will be adding to out collection of what I now recognise as 'sicko-lit' along with diaries of the terminally ill, grieving spouses and such like. However, there is so much black humour here, especially related particularly to south africa and Afrikaans culture - an instant classic.

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful, if sad and peculiar book. It is a novel interspersed with a narrative of photorealist paintings. Highly recommended, though unfortunately rather hard to find.