“Here it is safe to assume nothing at all”: aesthetics and the impasse of South African poetry criticism

Sole, Kelwyn

doi:10.1080/18125441.2016.1192674

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is clear that the practicalities of curricular decolonisation involve irreducible complexities and that much research needs to be done in the field of post-apartheid aesthetics (Sole 2016). Although we hope that the issues raised in this initial exploration will be pertinent in a range of disciplinary domains, we invite poets, literary scholars, and educators to take up this challenge in the domain of contemporary South African poetry.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living Archives and the Project of Poetry Recurriculation in South Africa

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article, dedicated to the memory of the late Poet Laureate of South Africa and patron of the South African Poetry Project (ZAPP), Professor Keorapetse Kgositsile, situates itself within Kgositsile's struggle for cultural liberation through the arts and education. It is also located within the current South African project of decolonising the curriculum. The call to decolonise existing educational curricula-to transform colonial curricula through processes of indigenisation-is ubiquitous and strident. As a response to the contemporary call from students, educators, and theorists-more than twenty years after South Africa's liberation from apartheid-this article seeks to interrogate how one might decolonise the poetry curriculum within the discipline of English literature. As researchers of English studies, we have chosen to investigate poetry, Kgositsile's favoured genre. Our choice is informed by poetry's status as a capacious genre that stretches the boundaries of both language and knowledge. This article considers what it might mean to decolonise the poetry curriculum in terms of its selection of texts, although we acknowledge that pedagogic and assessment practices also have important roles to play in processes of educational decolonisation. We introduce decoloniality and indigeneity as concepts and analyse excerpts of current South African poetry in English in terms of these. Our aim is to open a space for discussion around the complex, sensitive issues involved in shaping a decolonised poetry curriculum.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living Archives and the Project of Poetry Recurriculation in South Africa

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Poetry in South Africa: Towards a Language of Aesthetic Response

Chapman

2022

Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

South Africa and Zimbabwe

Warren¹

2017

The Journal of Commonwealth Literature

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: South Africa 2016 was an active year in publishing, with an impressive array of books in print. The role of small, independent publishers such as Modjaji, Botsotso and Junkets remains important, especially in the genres of poetry and drama. Self-publishing in poetry, but increasingly in fiction as well, is on the rise, with an increase in so-called "hybrid authors" who are published traditionally as well as self-publishing their works. An encouraging feature is the large number of debuts with numerous new voices appearing in poetry, drama and fiction. A wide range of books were nominated for the main literary awards. Interestingly, J. M. Coetzee's The Schooldays of Jesus which was nominated for the Man Booker Prize did not feature on any of the local award lists. The Sunday Times Award was won by Zakes Mda for his 2015 novel Little Suns, with The Printmaker by Bronwyn Law-Viljoen, Period Pain by Kopano Matlwa, The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso and The Safest Place You Know by Mark Winkler shortlisted. Omotoso attracted international interest and acclaim and was nominated for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction as well as for the UJ Prize, along with Pleasure by Nthikeng Mohlele and Sigh, the Beloved Country by Bongani Madondo. The UJ Debut Prize nominees include The Yearning by Mohale Mashigo, Loud and Yellow Laughter by Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese and Tjieng Tjang Tjerries & Other Stories by Jolyn Phillips. It is interesting to see poetry (Busuku-Mathese) and short stories (Madondo and Phillips) appearing on the award list. The UJ Prizes have not been awarded at the time of writing. The MER Prize for Youth Literature was won by Edyth Bulbring for Snitch, with Elevation by Helen Brain and There Should Have Been Five by M. J. Honikman shortlisted. Suzanne van Rooyen's Scardust, combining science fiction with gay romance, won the 2016 Rainbow Award for Gay Sci-Fi / Futuristic Literature. Speculative fiction dominates the youth literature. Elevation by Helen Brain appears to be standard postapocalyptic fiction, albeit with a Cape Town setting; however, Brain brings in fantastic elements as the protagonist discovers she is the descendant of a goddess and must embark on a quest to restore a magic amulet. More conventional fantasy with little South African influence can be seen in Judged, the conclusion of Liz de Jager's Blackhart trilogy, and Adrienne Woods' dragon fantasy novels Starlight and Moonbeam.

show abstract

“Here it is safe to assume nothing at all”: aesthetics and the impasse of South African poetry criticism

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

Living Archives and the Project of Poetry Recurriculation in South Africa

Living Archives and the Project of Poetry Recurriculation in South Africa

Poetry in South Africa: Towards a Language of Aesthetic Response

South Africa and Zimbabwe

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About