A LITERARY VOX POP

Abstract

Literary vox pop looks at the reception of South African novels in the British market, explores possible reasons behind the current limitation in the export of titles from South Africa to Britain and suggests directions and changes in writing practice and attitude that might ameliorate this situation. The paper takes into account a number of recently published novels, reviews of the novels and interviews with publishers and agents whose opinions and engagements have a bearing on South African literature. It argues that South Africa is inextricably connected to a sense of the mundane yet simultaneously suffers from a sense of national shame. The moral confusion of South Africa’s contemporary problems has not made her literary output popular. The paper also examines negative attitudes within South Africa about publishing abroad. In conclusion it suggests that the development of a new post‐apartheid identity in South African writing is essential but South Africans should be aware of the danger of alienating themselves from their own experiences by “writing for strangers”, i.e. writing primarily with international publication in mind.