Fiction is the most truthful form of writing, says Angela Makholwa, a participant in the Time of the Writer festival starting in Durban today The 38-year-old Joburg public relations director is considered the first black crime fiction writer in South Africa and one of the few women in the male-dominated genre.
She studied journalism at Rhodes University but, after a year as a journalist, realised she was an entrepreneur at heart and set out on a successful path in public relations. "In that first year in journalism I wrote to a serial killer asking for a behind-bars exclusive. He responded five years later with the proposition that I write his biography "I went to see him and began interviews. However, he was a psychopath seeking attention rather than offering the truth.
I abandoned the project but later met a publisher who suggested I use my research to construct a fictional story" Red Ink was published in 2007 to critical and popular acclaim and was nominated for the Sunday Times Literary Awards. "I'm not interested in gruesome detail but Jam captivated by psychological thrillers and motivation in the criminal mind. I'm not a literary writer and what I do, ultimately is entertain."
Makholwa did an about turn with her second book, 30th Candle, which focuses on the escapades and sexual misadventures of modern women as they search for happiness and love in Joburg. The book was shortlisted for the Booksellers' Award. She says while it suits publishers to place writers in genres, this is not always true for the storytellers. "I write for myself. When I started the third book I was in a serious relationship and could not fathom the multitude of stories in the media about people killing their partners — people they once loved. Black Widow Society is a crime thriller, which delves into the workings of a secret society of wealthy women who conspire to kill their abusive husbands with the aid of a hit man.
Participating writers at the Time of the Writer festival, Sarah Britten and Khulekani Magubane of South Africa; Prajwal Parajuly (India); Tiny Mungwe (project manager at UKZN's Centre for Creative Arts); Mshai Mwangola (Kenya); and Tierno Monenembo (Guinea) take a stroll on the Durban beachfront yesterday. The festival gets under way in the city today. Angela Makholwa (inset) is also participating in the festival.
By Omeshnee Naidoo
Picture by: Jacques Naude
Article Source: MERCURY