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Little Suns
It is 1903. A lame and frail Malangana – ‘Little Suns’ – searches for his beloved Mthwakazi after many lonely years spent in Lesotho. Mthwakazi was the young woman he had fallen in love with twenty years earlier, before the assassination of Hamilton Hope ripped the two of them apart.
Intertwined with Malangana’s story, is the account of Hope – a colonial magistrate who, in the late nineteenth century, was undermining the local kingdoms of the eastern Cape in order to bring them under the control of the British. It was he who wanted to coerce Malangana’s king and his people, the amaMpondomise, into joining his battle – a scheme Malangana’s conscience could not allow.
Zakes Mda’s fine new novel 'Little Suns' weaves the true events surrounding the death of Magistrate Hope into a touching story of love and perseverance that can transcend exile and strife.
Intertwined with Malangana’s story, is the account of Hope – a colonial magistrate who, in the late nineteenth century, was undermining the local kingdoms of the eastern Cape in order to bring them under the control of the British. It was he who wanted to coerce Malangana’s king and his people, the amaMpondomise, into joining his battle – a scheme Malangana’s conscience could not allow.
Zakes Mda’s fine new novel 'Little Suns' weaves the true events surrounding the death of Magistrate Hope into a touching story of love and perseverance that can transcend exile and strife.
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
23 people are currently reading
705 people want to read
About the author
Zakes Mda
33 books258 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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February 4, 2016
What an extraordinary love story of Malangani and Mthwakazi spanning over 20 years. Thrown in for good measure was the genealogy of the xhosa nation depicting the formation of the different tribes within it.
More than the history, it was a fundamental lesson on love found, lost and recaptured 20 years later.
In Mda style, the events in the book revealed the thorough background work that went into research. Through this, I was able to follow Mda's family tree as far back as the 1500s.
The repercussions brought on by The Battle of Hope, caused a ripple effect displacing nations eternally. Man. Man has always craved for dominion over other men. Peoples who the white man didn't know anything about and never bothered to study to a point of understanding, were deemed savages. Needed to be reigned in and lorded over. How tragic!
We follow Malangani as he searches for his beloved Mthwakazi guided only by her "mkhonto" aura. Amazing how the heart never forgets. Malangani's search spans over a couple of months where we are taken back a good 20 years to where it all began. Weaving between the present and the past, the tale is captivatingly exciting and I couldn't wait for the "what happened next". Writing in the third person created "an outside looking in" effect adding to the brilliant dramatization. Cultural dynamics and issues of ethnicity were explored thoroughly in this read. It was quite funny the way Hope always tried to impose his rule on the amaMpondomise, amaMpondo and all other ethnic groups in the Eastern Colony but never ever tried to learn and understand their ways as a nation. He wasnt looking for a Win-Win. He wanted to dominate at any cost. Reminded me of Steve Harvey's 5th Habit of highly effective people "Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood".
Exceptional read. Indeed "The end is always a journey". 5 full stars to Mda on this read.
More than the history, it was a fundamental lesson on love found, lost and recaptured 20 years later.
In Mda style, the events in the book revealed the thorough background work that went into research. Through this, I was able to follow Mda's family tree as far back as the 1500s.
The repercussions brought on by The Battle of Hope, caused a ripple effect displacing nations eternally. Man. Man has always craved for dominion over other men. Peoples who the white man didn't know anything about and never bothered to study to a point of understanding, were deemed savages. Needed to be reigned in and lorded over. How tragic!
We follow Malangani as he searches for his beloved Mthwakazi guided only by her "mkhonto" aura. Amazing how the heart never forgets. Malangani's search spans over a couple of months where we are taken back a good 20 years to where it all began. Weaving between the present and the past, the tale is captivatingly exciting and I couldn't wait for the "what happened next". Writing in the third person created "an outside looking in" effect adding to the brilliant dramatization. Cultural dynamics and issues of ethnicity were explored thoroughly in this read. It was quite funny the way Hope always tried to impose his rule on the amaMpondomise, amaMpondo and all other ethnic groups in the Eastern Colony but never ever tried to learn and understand their ways as a nation. He wasnt looking for a Win-Win. He wanted to dominate at any cost. Reminded me of Steve Harvey's 5th Habit of highly effective people "Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood".
Exceptional read. Indeed "The end is always a journey". 5 full stars to Mda on this read.
March 31, 2018
When I first picked up this book, I had no idea it was a historical fiction title although I loved the lesson learned. I really appreciate authors who not only write because they can, but are really commited in their roots and country to an extent. Tata Zakes Mda is an important voice in South African literature, if not the world. And in this story, I managed to link it with what he wrote in his memoir, #SometimesThereIsAVoid which was beautifully written.
If you are a sucker for love and history and story telling; then this book is a must read.
The end is always a journey. Zakes Mda, #LittleSuns
If you are a sucker for love and history and story telling; then this book is a must read.
The end is always a journey. Zakes Mda, #LittleSuns
February 7, 2018
Little Suns, I'm inlove. Firstly I'm a sucker for historic fiction, the setting of book took me back home kuQumbu, eSulenkama. Much as the description might have changed with years to how I know the place as is now. I felt the connection, being iMpondomise myself I enjoyed the history lesson, the geneology. Well researched book, a book that is for keeps for me documenting imvelaphi yam. Not forgetting how I enjoyed the love story. Beautiful book this ❤
March 4, 2021
Zakes Mda took inspiration from his grandfather's stories about the War of Hope and how their family went into exile in Lesotho. Part of it is inspired by true events and another part of it is embellished by the magical and comical details humans add to spice up stories when told across generations.
I've never read a story set in Lesotho, so I wasn't familiar with its history nor its people. But it gave me a taste of the many different tribes that live in the area and how people are very much aware of their differences. The author presents this area of southern Africa when colonizers were encroaching the land and setting the different tribes against each other.
Our main character Malangana has fallen in love with Mthwakazi, a bushwoman. Everybody belittles his infatuation with her, but for some reason his heart is set on this woman. Unfortunately, war intervenes and separates them. In altering chapters between the present and the past, we learn about Malangana's past and how he journeys forth to find Mthwakazi.
All in all, I'm glad that I got a taste of how the people view colonization and its impact, how they talk to each other and the deep awareness of one's and others' identity. It's just that I was missing something that would make this novel special. The plot is good, but I just wasn't captivated by the narration and would not feel the urge to get back to this book. But at least I learned a few new things. I might read this again.
I've never read a story set in Lesotho, so I wasn't familiar with its history nor its people. But it gave me a taste of the many different tribes that live in the area and how people are very much aware of their differences. The author presents this area of southern Africa when colonizers were encroaching the land and setting the different tribes against each other.
Our main character Malangana has fallen in love with Mthwakazi, a bushwoman. Everybody belittles his infatuation with her, but for some reason his heart is set on this woman. Unfortunately, war intervenes and separates them. In altering chapters between the present and the past, we learn about Malangana's past and how he journeys forth to find Mthwakazi.
All in all, I'm glad that I got a taste of how the people view colonization and its impact, how they talk to each other and the deep awareness of one's and others' identity. It's just that I was missing something that would make this novel special. The plot is good, but I just wasn't captivated by the narration and would not feel the urge to get back to this book. But at least I learned a few new things. I might read this again.
June 23, 2021
Oh yini my heart 🥺 the joy and relief that filled my heart when I got to the end.
Little Suns tells the story of the displacement of the amaMpondomise but also the beautiful love story of Malangana and Mthawakazi, spanning over twenty years.
In it we’re offered the genealogy of the now Xhosa nation, we see how the different Xhosa-speaking clans were formed, how the indigenous people interacted with them (in this case amaMpondomise), the relationship honed between the people of Lesotho and amaMpondomise when many were in exile but also the tragic and violent effect that colonialism had on the people of the land. I found myself reading history articles on some of the events that took place in the book, and the brutal nature of the magistrate of the time Hamilton Hope.
One of my favourite parts was the mention of Queen Mamani and her wife, Ntsibatha. I have always found the “writing in” of marginalised voices to be dear to my heart, so to find this small piece of history brought me immense joy 🥺
All in all this was a lovely read, an important read which further cemented my love for historical fiction 🌞
Little Suns tells the story of the displacement of the amaMpondomise but also the beautiful love story of Malangana and Mthawakazi, spanning over twenty years.
In it we’re offered the genealogy of the now Xhosa nation, we see how the different Xhosa-speaking clans were formed, how the indigenous people interacted with them (in this case amaMpondomise), the relationship honed between the people of Lesotho and amaMpondomise when many were in exile but also the tragic and violent effect that colonialism had on the people of the land. I found myself reading history articles on some of the events that took place in the book, and the brutal nature of the magistrate of the time Hamilton Hope.
One of my favourite parts was the mention of Queen Mamani and her wife, Ntsibatha. I have always found the “writing in” of marginalised voices to be dear to my heart, so to find this small piece of history brought me immense joy 🥺
All in all this was a lovely read, an important read which further cemented my love for historical fiction 🌞
May 8, 2016
There is a wonderful richness to this many-layered story. The richness and complexity of Xhosa genealogy, the many ways of responding to colonisation, and the desire and anguish of love across cultural barriers - to name just a few.
What struck me most powerfully was the brutal power of invasion and colonisation that pervades this book set in the what is now the Eastern Cape of South Africa from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. For the protagonists, the white settlers seem to be just one of the waves of change their people have absorbed over the centuries sweeping back to the original progenitor also called Malangana. For example, they recognise how they were able to include intermarriage with the First People of the area (Bushmen or abaThwa) in a way that got over the edginess of difference and created an inclusive story. We experience the story of love and resistance to the colonisers, full of passion and bravery and deep spiritual connections to earth and rivers and stars, and yet all the way through we know who will win this battle and the wars of colonisation.
Mda brings it all to life through the love story of Malangana and an unnamed Bushman woman (simply called the generic Mthwakazi) as well as his equally passionate determination to defend the kingdom and culture of the amaMphondomise. The story shares his pride at challenging colonial rule in the person of the local magistrate Hamilton Hope - the struggle known in colonial history as the Mpondomise Rebellion - and shows how much the colonists ignored or simply didn't get about the deep wisdom and valuable traditions of the people they were determined to rule. Yet while reading this, one is constantly aware that the colonial government will win this battle and establish control. As we are shown at the end, those who were first to abandon their traditional leaders and side with the colonial government were also the first to be rewarded with land in the conquered areas, while the traditional leaders were killed or banished to Lesotho.
Part of the greatness of this book is the way it illuminates cycles of domination and resistance. Written in a time when yet another wave of decolonisation demands (#RhodesMustFall and many more) sweeps through South Africa, it suggests that no change is forever, no domination is without reversal.
Echoes of this 1880s exile reverberate in the Mda family's exile in the 1960s to Lesotho for Zakes's father's ANC activities. The ANC's political victories are an example of a cycle of colonial domination and reversal.
I was at one of the launch events for this book in Johannesburg, very much in the heart of continuing white cultural domination in South Africa. The event was hosted by Jenny Crwys-Williams and some would expect "the heart of whiteness," yet she had the good grace to step back and bask in the glory of two sons of the soil reclaiming their space. Authors Zakes Mda and Hugh Masekela took charge of the space and the culture that night and their rich and powerful presence back in the land of their birth made it clear that no change is forever, no domination is without reversal - even the colonisation of Africa.
What struck me most powerfully was the brutal power of invasion and colonisation that pervades this book set in the what is now the Eastern Cape of South Africa from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. For the protagonists, the white settlers seem to be just one of the waves of change their people have absorbed over the centuries sweeping back to the original progenitor also called Malangana. For example, they recognise how they were able to include intermarriage with the First People of the area (Bushmen or abaThwa) in a way that got over the edginess of difference and created an inclusive story. We experience the story of love and resistance to the colonisers, full of passion and bravery and deep spiritual connections to earth and rivers and stars, and yet all the way through we know who will win this battle and the wars of colonisation.
Mda brings it all to life through the love story of Malangana and an unnamed Bushman woman (simply called the generic Mthwakazi) as well as his equally passionate determination to defend the kingdom and culture of the amaMphondomise. The story shares his pride at challenging colonial rule in the person of the local magistrate Hamilton Hope - the struggle known in colonial history as the Mpondomise Rebellion - and shows how much the colonists ignored or simply didn't get about the deep wisdom and valuable traditions of the people they were determined to rule. Yet while reading this, one is constantly aware that the colonial government will win this battle and establish control. As we are shown at the end, those who were first to abandon their traditional leaders and side with the colonial government were also the first to be rewarded with land in the conquered areas, while the traditional leaders were killed or banished to Lesotho.
Part of the greatness of this book is the way it illuminates cycles of domination and resistance. Written in a time when yet another wave of decolonisation demands (#RhodesMustFall and many more) sweeps through South Africa, it suggests that no change is forever, no domination is without reversal.
Echoes of this 1880s exile reverberate in the Mda family's exile in the 1960s to Lesotho for Zakes's father's ANC activities. The ANC's political victories are an example of a cycle of colonial domination and reversal.
I was at one of the launch events for this book in Johannesburg, very much in the heart of continuing white cultural domination in South Africa. The event was hosted by Jenny Crwys-Williams and some would expect "the heart of whiteness," yet she had the good grace to step back and bask in the glory of two sons of the soil reclaiming their space. Authors Zakes Mda and Hugh Masekela took charge of the space and the culture that night and their rich and powerful presence back in the land of their birth made it clear that no change is forever, no domination is without reversal - even the colonisation of Africa.
April 6, 2018
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
TW: the book does use ableist language a lot.
Oh Little Suns, how I enjoyed thee.
"Little Suns" tells the story of a man who goes out on a trek to find the woman from his past. The novel jumps from present Malangana—an old man on his journey to find Mthwakazi, a Mthwa (the San) woman from his youth who he was in love with—to a young Malangana, a stubborn man who's always ready for a fight against anyone who undermines his traditional (Black) ways.
The thing I love the most about this book is how much I can relate to some things in it. The novel is set between 1800 - 1912, long before I was born, but it still has the ability to make me feel attached to you it.
As a Black South African, I got references a lot easier, was able to laugh at some situations because I understood them on a personal level. Although Malangana and his family speak IsiXhosa, I understood what was being said (without the help of the translations, which were slightly distracting though I understand why they’re there) because of the language's similarities to IsiZulu. That drew me closer to the novel than it would have if Zakes Mda had chosen to write the whole thing in English. I feel that it helped the book, helped me, as a Black South African, feel more attached to the story.
Now a little more about Malangana.
Malangana is a stubborn man, both in his younger years and his older years. When younger, he refuses to be changed by the white settlers, does not want to be converted to Christianity and lose his transitional ways, lose himself, and when he is older he refuses to be stopped by anyone in his trek to find the woman he so loved.
His stubbornness reminds me of older Black men, those who are gone in age but refuse to admit that they have; those who say things like "Unyoko loyo" as a respond to an insult. He kind of reminds me of grandfather if I'm being honest (minus the "your mother" insult). I actually liked his character because he reminds me of people i know; I can relate him to real life people in my own life.
Malangana, as expected in royalty, has a large family with many brothers (although in white terms they would be considered as half-brothers and cousins). He is the son of the King and the Kings last wife, meaning that even though he is royalty, his chances of getting the throne are slim to none. Essentially he is the Prince Harry of his family, and like Harry, he doesn't care for the throne. Malangana is happy just being the King’s horse groom. He respects his older brother, Mhlontlo, and is fine with being led by him and looks up to him. Mhlontlo is a fine leader, a man who respects himself and his people and who ties to keep to his traditions.
His respect for Mhlontlo however decreases slightly when he believes that his King has swayed to the ways of the white man, especially one Hamilton Hope. Malangana hates the way his King deals with Hope and his demands, and thinks his King a weak man. But he doesn’t realise that his King has a plan, his King always has a plan.
I HATE Hamilton Hope with everything I am. He is an ass—and a racist—who uses his position and power to humiliate anyone who doesn’t do what he wants them to do. He does not hesitate in threatening anyone with his infamous cat-o'-nine-tails, even on older men who should not at all be touched by said whip. Hope enjoys the fact that he has something over the so called 'natives' of the land, that as magistrate, he has higher authority then even the King—who he insists mist be called chief because there should only be one kind or queen and that is Victoria in England nywe, nywe, nywe. ASS!
I couldn't wait for Hope to die. I was super prepared for it too, even excited for it. Hope was an asshole personified, using his power to abuse the amaMpondomise. I was ready to celebrate his death, even after only a few mentions of his name.
And whoooow boy did I celebrate when he died. And it was such a lovely thing to read too.
It was coming, I didn't see it happening this way, but there was always that thing. The whole time when Hope is preparing things for the war the King is not happy. He isn't happy about the fact that Hope forces him to go to war when he is in mourning, he hasn't been happy about it since he was forced into agreeing to 'help'. His wife was queen, she deserves a proper mourning from her husbands (which includes him not touching any weapons of war or eating anything with salt) but Hope keeps insisting coz you know: asshole.
So all in all, Hope deserves what he gets.
Okay, now without spoiling the entire books—coz I might just do that with how excited I am to share how good it is—I just want everyone to know that this is a good book.
And the ending! That ending FMU and I was screeching because HOW DARE but also OMG! What a good ass ending. I am both mad and happy and I kinda want to fight someone because again HOW DARE but it was such a good ending!
PS:
I won't pretend that it doesn't have problematic moments, and language, because it does, but it was a good book. I'm usually not one for historical fiction, but this one I truly enjoyed because I got it, I understood the characters because they were so close to people I grew up around, people who are still around me every day. When people scream #RepresentationMatters, I agree without really feeling it. But I get it in a deep and true way now, I really do. Representation matters in every way possible. More representation for everyone, every time, always!
TW: the book does use ableist language a lot.
Oh Little Suns, how I enjoyed thee.
"Little Suns" tells the story of a man who goes out on a trek to find the woman from his past. The novel jumps from present Malangana—an old man on his journey to find Mthwakazi, a Mthwa (the San) woman from his youth who he was in love with—to a young Malangana, a stubborn man who's always ready for a fight against anyone who undermines his traditional (Black) ways.
The thing I love the most about this book is how much I can relate to some things in it. The novel is set between 1800 - 1912, long before I was born, but it still has the ability to make me feel attached to you it.
As a Black South African, I got references a lot easier, was able to laugh at some situations because I understood them on a personal level. Although Malangana and his family speak IsiXhosa, I understood what was being said (without the help of the translations, which were slightly distracting though I understand why they’re there) because of the language's similarities to IsiZulu. That drew me closer to the novel than it would have if Zakes Mda had chosen to write the whole thing in English. I feel that it helped the book, helped me, as a Black South African, feel more attached to the story.
Now a little more about Malangana.
Malangana is a stubborn man, both in his younger years and his older years. When younger, he refuses to be changed by the white settlers, does not want to be converted to Christianity and lose his transitional ways, lose himself, and when he is older he refuses to be stopped by anyone in his trek to find the woman he so loved.
His stubbornness reminds me of older Black men, those who are gone in age but refuse to admit that they have; those who say things like "Unyoko loyo" as a respond to an insult. He kind of reminds me of grandfather if I'm being honest (minus the "your mother" insult). I actually liked his character because he reminds me of people i know; I can relate him to real life people in my own life.
Malangana, as expected in royalty, has a large family with many brothers (although in white terms they would be considered as half-brothers and cousins). He is the son of the King and the Kings last wife, meaning that even though he is royalty, his chances of getting the throne are slim to none. Essentially he is the Prince Harry of his family, and like Harry, he doesn't care for the throne. Malangana is happy just being the King’s horse groom. He respects his older brother, Mhlontlo, and is fine with being led by him and looks up to him. Mhlontlo is a fine leader, a man who respects himself and his people and who ties to keep to his traditions.
His respect for Mhlontlo however decreases slightly when he believes that his King has swayed to the ways of the white man, especially one Hamilton Hope. Malangana hates the way his King deals with Hope and his demands, and thinks his King a weak man. But he doesn’t realise that his King has a plan, his King always has a plan.
I HATE Hamilton Hope with everything I am. He is an ass—and a racist—who uses his position and power to humiliate anyone who doesn’t do what he wants them to do. He does not hesitate in threatening anyone with his infamous cat-o'-nine-tails, even on older men who should not at all be touched by said whip. Hope enjoys the fact that he has something over the so called 'natives' of the land, that as magistrate, he has higher authority then even the King—who he insists mist be called chief because there should only be one kind or queen and that is Victoria in England nywe, nywe, nywe. ASS!
I couldn't wait for Hope to die. I was super prepared for it too, even excited for it. Hope was an asshole personified, using his power to abuse the amaMpondomise. I was ready to celebrate his death, even after only a few mentions of his name.
And whoooow boy did I celebrate when he died. And it was such a lovely thing to read too.
It was coming, I didn't see it happening this way, but there was always that thing. The whole time when Hope is preparing things for the war the King is not happy. He isn't happy about the fact that Hope forces him to go to war when he is in mourning, he hasn't been happy about it since he was forced into agreeing to 'help'. His wife was queen, she deserves a proper mourning from her husbands (which includes him not touching any weapons of war or eating anything with salt) but Hope keeps insisting coz you know: asshole.
So all in all, Hope deserves what he gets.
Okay, now without spoiling the entire books—coz I might just do that with how excited I am to share how good it is—I just want everyone to know that this is a good book.
And the ending! That ending FMU and I was screeching because HOW DARE but also OMG! What a good ass ending. I am both mad and happy and I kinda want to fight someone because again HOW DARE but it was such a good ending!
PS:
I won't pretend that it doesn't have problematic moments, and language, because it does, but it was a good book. I'm usually not one for historical fiction, but this one I truly enjoyed because I got it, I understood the characters because they were so close to people I grew up around, people who are still around me every day. When people scream #RepresentationMatters, I agree without really feeling it. But I get it in a deep and true way now, I really do. Representation matters in every way possible. More representation for everyone, every time, always!
February 27, 2018
Little Suns is an amazing love story of Malangana and of his Mthwakazi, him the brother and horse groom of the amaMpondomise king and her the healer of the queen. What I loved the most about this book is that I knew so little of the kingdoms and people who lived in pre-colonial African nations, how they lived, what languages they spoke, that every page was a discovery of something new. The author himself descends from the royal family of amaMpondomise so this is, fictional characters aside, his story, history retold and reclaimed.
A story set around the real events leading to and following the assassination of Hamilton Hope, a magistrate of the British Crown, and the rebellion that ensued (and that was crushed shortly after). After the rebellion fails, Malangana and his brother the king must go into exile, to Lesotho, where Malangana stays for 20 years. After all that time, his body changed by time and grief, he goes back to the old kingdom where no one recognises him nor remembers his heroic youth, where he is to everyone a crazy old man, to try to find his Mthwakazi who he never married and finally be with her under the stars. Such a beautiful, beautiful book.
A story set around the real events leading to and following the assassination of Hamilton Hope, a magistrate of the British Crown, and the rebellion that ensued (and that was crushed shortly after). After the rebellion fails, Malangana and his brother the king must go into exile, to Lesotho, where Malangana stays for 20 years. After all that time, his body changed by time and grief, he goes back to the old kingdom where no one recognises him nor remembers his heroic youth, where he is to everyone a crazy old man, to try to find his Mthwakazi who he never married and finally be with her under the stars. Such a beautiful, beautiful book.
February 7, 2018
Where have I been? I can't believe this was my first Zake Mda experience. It should be a sin against all that is sacred in literature.
I took my time reading Little Suns because it was like visiting my own history. I held on to every word as if with uMalangana as he wondered up and down the hills and plains of what is now known a Mhlontlo district. I could see my own forebearers amongst the charecters. I remembered my own years spent in Qumbu. It was like rediscovering my family all over again.
Zake writes so engagingly, like sitting down with my grandfather and listening to stories of old, passed through generations by word of mouth. This is a treasure.
I took my time reading Little Suns because it was like visiting my own history. I held on to every word as if with uMalangana as he wondered up and down the hills and plains of what is now known a Mhlontlo district. I could see my own forebearers amongst the charecters. I remembered my own years spent in Qumbu. It was like rediscovering my family all over again.
Zake writes so engagingly, like sitting down with my grandfather and listening to stories of old, passed through generations by word of mouth. This is a treasure.
Read
December 26, 2025I do love a folklore-meets-history-meets-life-spanning-narrative novel 😤⭐️
April 1, 2022
Welcome to my journey around the world through books. Today we are visiting country 69, South Africa, with the book Little Suns by the author Zakes Mda. Thank you very much to Jacaranda Books for sending me a copy to support my journey around the world.
This book is not too long, 272 pages, with an Interesting mixture of fiction and nonfiction, as the non fiction part is with Hamilton Hope, a real life person, who is a rather nasty, who is murdered and the subsiquent trial, and the fiction part is the love story between Malangana and Mthwakazi.
There are many interesting historical details of the area and era. You can really see the colonialists imposing their rules over the local tribes and villages and how the locals tried to resist this as the white people have no right to dominate in their lands.
It is quite interesting to see how many novels I have read that are about colonialism and/or human domination. Check out this playlist here.
One of the most interesting traditions is the one where a person cannot go to war while in mourning.
Malangana is a great character, full of details and life. This novel is written in the third person.
I enjoyed the details where the genealogy line was required to introduce yourself,, rather amusing, but also confusing, for example, during the trial, the names were often unpronounceable.
The book jumps from 1880 when lots of the action takes place and 1903; it is in 1903 when Malangana leaves exile in Lesotho and goes in search of Mthwakazi after many years of not seeing her.
Super interesting was the author’s note at the end of the book, with the inspiration of the book being the stories from his grandfather about the War of Hope that is mentioned here in this book, and his own family exile in Lesotho.
I am giving this book 3 stars, the next country we are visiting in the Read The World challenge is Cambodia.
This book is not too long, 272 pages, with an Interesting mixture of fiction and nonfiction, as the non fiction part is with Hamilton Hope, a real life person, who is a rather nasty, who is murdered and the subsiquent trial, and the fiction part is the love story between Malangana and Mthwakazi.
There are many interesting historical details of the area and era. You can really see the colonialists imposing their rules over the local tribes and villages and how the locals tried to resist this as the white people have no right to dominate in their lands.
It is quite interesting to see how many novels I have read that are about colonialism and/or human domination. Check out this playlist here.
One of the most interesting traditions is the one where a person cannot go to war while in mourning.
Malangana is a great character, full of details and life. This novel is written in the third person.
I enjoyed the details where the genealogy line was required to introduce yourself,, rather amusing, but also confusing, for example, during the trial, the names were often unpronounceable.
The book jumps from 1880 when lots of the action takes place and 1903; it is in 1903 when Malangana leaves exile in Lesotho and goes in search of Mthwakazi after many years of not seeing her.
Super interesting was the author’s note at the end of the book, with the inspiration of the book being the stories from his grandfather about the War of Hope that is mentioned here in this book, and his own family exile in Lesotho.
I am giving this book 3 stars, the next country we are visiting in the Read The World challenge is Cambodia.
October 10, 2017
Zake's Mda's story of quasi romance was griping in the beginning, but after about half way through the book I wasn't able to pull through. I had to skim the other half and put the book down.
This was a disappointment to me, for Little Suns is a novel I had been looking forward to reading since early this year.
This was a disappointment to me, for Little Suns is a novel I had been looking forward to reading since early this year.
July 10, 2018
The book was gripping in the beginning. It also came highly recommended and I waited a while for it. And I'd enjoyed Mda's Heart of redness many years ago. But I didn't like this one so much. It felt like a lesson in history that I didn't quite enjoy. A disappointing read.
May 24, 2017
Fascinating point of view.
September 22, 2017
I enjoyed this read but found it slow going. Maybe it's more a guy book but did not live up to my expectations
July 21, 2017
I'm a sucker for a beautiful book cover... and so, logically, I bought this books on a total whim about 3 months ago. The name Zakes Mda was only vaguely familiar at that stage.
Then, I started noticing it everywhere. Apparently, 'Little Suns' won the 2017 Barry Ronge Fiction Prize. Of course, I had to pick it up off the shelf.
It was historical fiction... Blah. I've said before how much I love this genre.
So, anticipating disappointment, I began reading. The world of Malangana absorbed me from the first page. We meet Malangana and join him on his journey to find Mthwakazi. Mda sets the scene vividly, for a moment, I could feel the ache in my joints as Malangana walked his twisted walk.
My absolute favourite thing about this book is that it IS historical fiction! HA! Mda researched the history of the amaXhosa people all the way back to the 1500s and made an incredible story out of the imagined lives of kings and heroes who really did live. It is quite accurate and beautiful.
My second favourite thing is the language. I love words! English is, shamefully, the only language I speak well enough to boast about but I love all words! Mda uses so many Xhosa words that I began to feel the language on my tongue as I read. Sometimes a translation is offered, sometimes not. The use of Xhosa words is even used as a literary device to mislead the reader at one point. I loved it!!!! Words! Hamza says "You are sitting here for the whole night doing amanyala with this bushman girl while the nation is on fire." The Xhosa word needs no translation.
Malangana speaks some English and works as the king's translator, bringing the two languages together. Mda also uses some splendid and seldom used English words; "gourmandising", "augured" and "impudence", for example, to alienate the average English reader and make the language sound foreign. It works.
Malangana and his Mthwakazi are star-crossed lovers who debate how many suns there are. Their love spans decades and his longing for her moves him forward in his endless journey through the mountains. Will he find this girl that haunts him?
Then, I started noticing it everywhere. Apparently, 'Little Suns' won the 2017 Barry Ronge Fiction Prize. Of course, I had to pick it up off the shelf.
It was historical fiction... Blah. I've said before how much I love this genre.
So, anticipating disappointment, I began reading. The world of Malangana absorbed me from the first page. We meet Malangana and join him on his journey to find Mthwakazi. Mda sets the scene vividly, for a moment, I could feel the ache in my joints as Malangana walked his twisted walk.
My absolute favourite thing about this book is that it IS historical fiction! HA! Mda researched the history of the amaXhosa people all the way back to the 1500s and made an incredible story out of the imagined lives of kings and heroes who really did live. It is quite accurate and beautiful.
My second favourite thing is the language. I love words! English is, shamefully, the only language I speak well enough to boast about but I love all words! Mda uses so many Xhosa words that I began to feel the language on my tongue as I read. Sometimes a translation is offered, sometimes not. The use of Xhosa words is even used as a literary device to mislead the reader at one point. I loved it!!!! Words! Hamza says "You are sitting here for the whole night doing amanyala with this bushman girl while the nation is on fire." The Xhosa word needs no translation.
Malangana speaks some English and works as the king's translator, bringing the two languages together. Mda also uses some splendid and seldom used English words; "gourmandising", "augured" and "impudence", for example, to alienate the average English reader and make the language sound foreign. It works.
Malangana and his Mthwakazi are star-crossed lovers who debate how many suns there are. Their love spans decades and his longing for her moves him forward in his endless journey through the mountains. Will he find this girl that haunts him?
August 17, 2024
This is historical fiction, based on the real events surrounding the assassination of Hamilton Hope, a British Magistrate in The Cape Colony back in the late 1800s.
The main story is a fictional love story between our main character, Malangana (translated to Little Suns), and his sweetheart Mithwakazi.
The whole setup of this novel screams that this is a perfect novel for my taste, as I tend to love historical fiction focusing on characters. However, I felt throughout this book that the author was very fragmanted, switching too often from pure histroical narration, to the central love story. Instead of both parts coming together, they felt always at odds and there is a very disjointed sense in the novel.
As a result, while I have enjoyed separate sections occasionally, and learned a good bit on the historical background of the setting, I never felt like I was reading a cohesive work, and was never able to relate to the plights of our hero, Malangana, even though he seems like a very complex character - there is just not enough exploration done, and a lot of events are told in a very distant, matter of fact voice, that does not suit this novel in my view.
This is overall a decent effort, but will not encourage me to read more from this author. I have read many historical fiction works that are far more complex and emotional.
The main story is a fictional love story between our main character, Malangana (translated to Little Suns), and his sweetheart Mithwakazi.
The whole setup of this novel screams that this is a perfect novel for my taste, as I tend to love historical fiction focusing on characters. However, I felt throughout this book that the author was very fragmanted, switching too often from pure histroical narration, to the central love story. Instead of both parts coming together, they felt always at odds and there is a very disjointed sense in the novel.
As a result, while I have enjoyed separate sections occasionally, and learned a good bit on the historical background of the setting, I never felt like I was reading a cohesive work, and was never able to relate to the plights of our hero, Malangana, even though he seems like a very complex character - there is just not enough exploration done, and a lot of events are told in a very distant, matter of fact voice, that does not suit this novel in my view.
This is overall a decent effort, but will not encourage me to read more from this author. I have read many historical fiction works that are far more complex and emotional.
August 17, 2020
A multi-layered African love story lived out through a historical setting.
I have a new found appreciation for historical fiction. There’s something beautiful about placing characters in environments the reader can pin to history or further research. Although, I do understand that this won't be a point appreciated by everyone who picks this book up but I am grateful that this read resonated with me.
The enchanting journey of Malangana searching for his true love while being faced with challenges of displacement and a world literally changing before his eyes as he ages is gripping. It's all due to a rich story line, complex in its own right but once you get into it, you just want more. Midway through the book, I just wanted to find uMthwakazi, the longing uMalangana experiences was mine to endure just as well.
Again, a well written romantic fiction that provides and alternative route to learn about African history. I'm highly impressed by the research that Mda placed into this storyline to render a truly unforgettable read. This was my first Mda read but it will definitely not be my last.
I have a new found appreciation for historical fiction. There’s something beautiful about placing characters in environments the reader can pin to history or further research. Although, I do understand that this won't be a point appreciated by everyone who picks this book up but I am grateful that this read resonated with me.
The enchanting journey of Malangana searching for his true love while being faced with challenges of displacement and a world literally changing before his eyes as he ages is gripping. It's all due to a rich story line, complex in its own right but once you get into it, you just want more. Midway through the book, I just wanted to find uMthwakazi, the longing uMalangana experiences was mine to endure just as well.
Again, a well written romantic fiction that provides and alternative route to learn about African history. I'm highly impressed by the research that Mda placed into this storyline to render a truly unforgettable read. This was my first Mda read but it will definitely not be my last.
December 30, 2020
I really enjoyed this Zakes Mda book. It reminded me a little bit of 'The Heart Of Redness' and has made me want to reread that classic. I was intrigued by how Malangeni perceived King Mhlontlo and his decisions; wanting to revere him but 'allowing' him to make mistakes. I found it really heartbreaking that in his later years Malangeni was not given the recognition he thought he deserved for fighting alongside Mhlontlo and how he was a part of history that was completely forgotten/erased. I am sure that there are many people who feel that way after significant events.
I wish I could give this novel a 4.5 because I really thought it just fell short of 4.5. I think the back and forth of the years took a long time to get in to (which is fine, I quite enjoy that type of playing with time) but then towards the end it felt like the back and forth got a bit too specific and confusing. I also would have liked maybe a bit more detail about the War of Hope because it felt like I couldn't quite put all the pieces together.
Great read!
I wish I could give this novel a 4.5 because I really thought it just fell short of 4.5. I think the back and forth of the years took a long time to get in to (which is fine, I quite enjoy that type of playing with time) but then towards the end it felt like the back and forth got a bit too specific and confusing. I also would have liked maybe a bit more detail about the War of Hope because it felt like I couldn't quite put all the pieces together.
Great read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2025
This book is a beautiful and tragic historical fiction of colonisation in today's South Africa and Lesotho. It tells the story of the dismantling of the local and traditional power structures and kingdoms of southern Africa, and how the whites took power and old traditions were lost. It also speaks of strong love that doesn't die, over many decades.
A small, unimportant scene that stuck with me was when the narrator, Malangana, spoke of the practice to bury the placenta in the soil after birth to anchor the child to the motherland. Isn't that beautiful? There was also a story told about a queer woman king who married another woman, in the 1800s. It's a good reminder to the progressive West that we weren't first with being progressive, which we often tend to believe.
I absolutely recommend this book; it's short but packs a punch.
A small, unimportant scene that stuck with me was when the narrator, Malangana, spoke of the practice to bury the placenta in the soil after birth to anchor the child to the motherland. Isn't that beautiful? There was also a story told about a queer woman king who married another woman, in the 1800s. It's a good reminder to the progressive West that we weren't first with being progressive, which we often tend to believe.
I absolutely recommend this book; it's short but packs a punch.
October 8, 2021
I find it hard to dislike a Zakes Mda book, so without a doubt I enjoyed this one. I'm not usually into love stories, but Zakes Mda just knows how to write the best without making it completely a love story. There is always a bit of a history lesson in his book, a lot of research and a lot of knowledge to be gained. The whale caller is my favourite book of his, than comes Ways of dying and in third place I'll have to put in this one. Did I mention that I loved this book and grumpy old Malangana?
May 22, 2023
Always ready for a historical novel set in South Africa. Especially one that captures the true history of black South Africans. A history that is too often not heard or known. Zakes brings that alive with much research inside a romantic liaison. I gave it a three because it didn’t sweep me away. I skipped some pages to be honest 😂
January 11, 2023
Quite an insightful read.. smart of Zakes to take us on a journey of a love story whilst feeding us factual historical facts about the Kingdom of amaMpondomise amongst many other insightful ingredients.. 👌
August 23, 2017
When people talk about stories told by grand parents and great grand parents, i always imagine such stories. Beautifully written love/war story bordering between non fiction and fiction.
November 16, 2019
I'm amazed of how Mda can combine a fictional love story and a true historic events.
I loved the novel.
I loved the novel.
Want to read
December 21, 2020Lesotho
October 31, 2023
Beautiful! Amazing mix of language and South African history.
January 15, 2024
I'm a sucker for a love story.
December 28, 2024
I never pass on the opportunity to read a book by Zakes Mda. This book, with romance and history gripped me right from the start.
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