Upturned Earth by Karen Jennings
Fiction. UPTURNED EARTH is set in Namaqualand, the copper mining district of the Cape Colony, during the winter of 1886. William Hull arrives at the town to take up the position of magistrate, a position that no one else wanted to accept because of the bleak and depressing locale. He finds that the town is run by the Cape Copper Mining Company and the despotic mine superintendent, Townsend. Meanwhile, Molefi Noki, a Xhosa mining labourer, is intent on finding his brother who was sent to jail for drunkenness and has yet to be released. Set against the background of a diverse community, made up of white immigrants, indigenous people and descendants of Dutch men and native women, we are given insight into the daily life of a mining town and the exploitation of workers, harsh working conditions and deep-seated corruption that began with the start of commercial mining in South Africa in the 1850s and which continue until now. While UPTURNED EARTH is a novel about the past, its concerns are very much founded in the present. A remarkable and moving book. Evocative of an era of raw possibility; unflinching as it traces the veins of violence that run through South Africa's bedrock to this day.--Henrietta Rose A mythical tale of heart and soul, cruelty and courage, fear and redemption.--Joanne Hichens Meticulously researched and grippingly told, this is an intensely human story that sheds light on a neglected corner of South African history.--Fiona Snyckers
Jennings, Karen: - Karen Jennings was born in Cape Town in 1982. She has Master's degrees in both English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Karen's stories and poetry have been published in journals across the globe, in countries as diverse as Nigeria, Australia and Greece. In 2010 her short story From Dark won the Africa Region prize in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition. Mia and the Shark won the English section of the Maskew Miller Longman short story competition in 2009 and is now studied in schools. Her debut novel Finding Soutbek was published by Holland Park Press in 2012, and was shortlisted for the inaugural Etisalat Prize for Literature 2013. Her short story collection Away from the Dead was published by Holland Park Press in 2014. Travels with My Father, an autobiographical novel, was published by Holland Park Press in 2016.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781907320910 |
| ISBN 10 | 1907320911 |
| Title | Upturned Earth |
| Author | Karen Jennings |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Holland Park Press |
| Year published | 2019-09-04 |
| Number of pages | 188 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |