Читать книгу A Renegade Called Simphiwe - Pumla Dineo Gqola - Страница 1

Pumla Gqola’s mind exhilarates. The tone of her writing in this book is as conversational as it is probing and insightful. Doors of insight open up page after page with daring freshness. Here is a literary presence that makes thinking a pleasure.

Njabulo S Ndebele

Is Simphiwe Dana full of contradictions? Without a doubt. But so are the rest of us. What sets her apart is that she is not only a genius, according to the author, but a renegade. The book is an exploration of this theme in the public life of Dana: the musician vs. the social activist; the feminist vs. the tabloid sleaze fodder… The author looks for the meaning of Dana’s music and distils the answer to: “our insides matter”. This portrait of Dana – it is not a biography – derives its charm, and occasional irritation, in that the author is a self-confessed fan and friend of the artist. It is a timely square in the quilt that is Simphiwe Dana, an outstanding artist of her generation.

Lizeka Mda

Near every sentence in this book is a piece of soul music. I was left impressed, envious, and excited. While it claims to be about thinking of Simphiwe Dana out loud, the book is really a beat for millions of gifted, young, uncontainable Simphiwes who dare reimagine our society. I know of very few scholars who can make feminism sound so clear, enjoyable, hip, right and black, all at once.

Kopano Ratele

In A Renegade Called Simphiwe, Dana is described as being a planet, rather than a star. If so, then this book is the tidal flow that both reveals and conceals that planet. It wonderfully mimics the contradictions that its subject embodies, blending the passionate play of emotional involvement with the rigour of academia to produce a book that is both a pleasure to read and a spur to introspection.

Chris Roper