For March we reached out to renown writer, president emeritus of PEN South Africa and a member of the executive board of PEN International, Margie Orford to ask for his reading suggestions to young writers and why she picked them.
1. Chınua Achebe /Thıngs Fall Apart
“This classic novel tells of pre-colonial life and then the arrival of Europeans in south-eastern Nigeria in the 19th century, thus revealing the experiences and struggles of people whose lives were altered completely by colonialism”
2. Tsitsi Dangarembga/ Nervous Condıtıons
“This wonderful novel tells the story of Tambu, a young Zimbabwean girl, who is determined to be educated despite the patriarchal society she lives in – a universal story about the courage and determination of women to find their voice and tell their stories.”
3. Toni Morrison / Beloved
(American)
“One of the greatest writers of our time, lays bare the inhumanity of slavery – Morrison creates an unforgettable world despite the attempt to erase the experiences of enslaved people. You cannot understand the United States without reading this book.”
4. John Maxwell Coetzee / Waıtıng For The Barbarıans
“Is a masterful book about a tyrannical and paranoid regime and the cruelty it visits on its citizens. A parable for our times.”
5. Per Petterson /Out Stealıng Horses
“Is my favourite coming of age story. It made me understand the connection between a son and his silent and absent father and the language is exquisite – simple and yet devastating. The lesson for any writer is that saying less always makes the reader feel more.”