Eastern Cape-born Songeziwe Mahlangu will be launching his first novel, Penumbra, in Grahamstown next week.
Eastern Cape-born Songeziwe Mahlangu will be launching his first novel, Penumbra, in Grahamstown next week.
Penumbra, recently published by Kwela Books, tells the story of Mangaliso Zolo, a hapless recent graduate still living near the University in the southern suburbs of Cape Town.
Manga has an office job at a large insurance company, but he is anonymous and overlooked in this vast bureaucracy.
The book charts his daily struggles with mental illness and the conflicting influences of his many friends and acquaintances – those who want to drag him towards a reckless drug-fuelled lifestyle, and others who want him to embrace charismatic Christianity.
The novel brings an alternative experience of Cape Town to life, one far removed from both the gloss of tourism brochures and the familiar poverty of the Cape Flats.
Songeziwe was born in Alice in 1985.
He matriculated from Dale College, in King William’s Town, and went on to do a business science degree at the University of Cape Town.
He returned to university to do a Masters degree in Creative Writing at Rhodes in 2011.
The manuscript of Penumbra was his thesis and became his first novel.
As his publisher says, “Mahlangu’s voice is unlike any we’ve yet heard in this country. This debut novel dissects young, urban slackers in South Africa with startling precision.”
The launch will take place at 5.30pm on Thursday 15 August at the NELM Eastern Star Centre, Anglo African Street, Grahamstown.
Songeziwe will read from his work. Drinks and snacks will be served and books will be on sale.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the Rhodes MA in Creative writing should email isea@ru.ac.za or visit the Rhodes website and the ISEA page. Also find news about the MA on Facebook.
