CHRISTINE MAUTJANA SPEAKS

Christine Mautjana is the editor of two books, Interviews with effervescent writers (2012) and Throbbing SA Black Literature (2013). Here she shares a few thoughts with lovers of Writing....

You have been rather quiet over the last few years...    

CHRISTINE MAUTJANA: I have never been the loud type anyway! I think generally women love to be in the background, taking care of the children, family, grooming, nurturing... But of course we love to be appreciated for whatever we can do.

You have always paid tribute to the pioneers, African women writers like Ngcobo and Tlali...

I think they are magnificent! Imagine writing, publishing at a time blacks were suppressed, not expected to write; never mind their women! Mama Tlali is wonderful as a pioneer not only because despite all the odds she wrote the first novel by African woman; but also she is a very good writer too. Laureta Ngcobo and Sindiwe Magona perhaps had an advantage of writing overseas at the time, but this does not remove the fact that they were very much in the minority, and very talented to boot.

Nowadays we have quite a number of young or younger black women writers. You are one of them. Perhaps things are much easier now?    

On the whole yes, but one still needs to be guided and helped. Because of extraordinary advances in technology now plus internet, exposure and acknowledgement is very fast now. Look at Futhi Ntshingila; the success of her first novel, Shameless, and the new one, Do not go gentle. You can read about launches of such books, any reviews etc on the internet. I understand that some decades ago as regards books written by Africans, reviews were hard to come by, could take years, and were not easily available...

Let's briefly look at your own two books. Are you happy about them?

MAUTJANA: You know in the beginning you are diffident, even scared. How will literary world react to these books? But Interviews with effervescent writers in particular has been very successful, available from scores of libraries, even overseas. America and Europe. It was great giving young female writers like Nthabiseng Jah Rose Jafta even more exposure, and of course many pundits believe Mme NMM Duman (also featured in the book) is a  great female novelist already. Featuring outstanding writers like Ntate Lechesa, Chief Bolaji and Mr Aryan Kaganof in the book was a thrill... Then when other accomplished writers  refer to you, talk about the little you have done, you become very happy again. Recently Mr Mzwandile Soqaga declared that he was very inspired by the book I put together, titled Throbbing SA Black Literature. It is interesting. By the time I brought out the book, Interviews with effervescent writers a few years ago, Ntate Soqaga had  not published even one book - but now he has FOUR! So that is evidence that our literature is flourishing (laughter)...