‘To Retrace Your Steps’: The Power of the Past in Post-Apartheid Literature

Abstract

In South Africa, many literary works published since 1994 are concerned with the ways in which the past makes its influence felt in the present. History in these works is not relegated to the past, but, paradoxically, is imbued with an active and authoritative presence. This paper analyses the depiction of the presence and power of the past in three significant novels of the post-apartheid period, all of which address this issue explicitly and in detail: J. M. Coetzee's Disgrace, Zakes Mda's The Heart of Redness and Marlene van Niekerk's Agaat In all three works the representation of post-apartheid South Africa is marked by dystopian elements. Although certain characters experience inner growth and some display generosity and compassion, these redemptive elements tend to be restricted to individuals and to circumscribed interpersonal interactions, rather than being suggestive of a wider social cohesion. The same is true of art, which, in different forms, plays a significant role in all three works: there is no dearth of creativity in individuals, but little to suggest the encouragement of social cohesion through culture. Disgrace, The Heart of Redness and Agaat all present the past as readily accessible, particularly to those who wish to perpetuate old grievances and conflicts, or who seek historical justifications for present-day abuses. But what they conspicuously do not represent is the integration of past and present in a dynamic and healthy continuum. The past is thus shown to be more likely to darken the present than to illuminate it.