Maricelle Botha

South African born writer Zirk van den Berg recently released his new novel in English as Half of One Thing and in Afrikaans as Halfpad Een Ding. The book depicts the northern Free State during the Boer War. Van den Berg made his literary debut with a volume of Afrikaans short stories in 1989, followed by a short historical novel. After moving to New Zealand in 1998, he switched to writing in English. His crime novel, Nobody Dies, was published to considerable acclaim in New Zealand and saw an Afrikaans edition released as ‘n Ander mens in South Africa in 2013. Half of One Thing is his first English novel to appear in his native South Africa. Van den Berg is a language practitioner in Auckland.
Courant had the opportunity to talk to Van den Berg via email and this is what he had to say about his latest novel.
Why did you only write this novel now?
I see a file on my computer dated 2002 in a format I can’t open any more, but it’s named "Boer spy novel", so I can only suppose the idea has been around at least since then. Who knows why it’s taken so long to write it? It could simply be a result of my children growing up and demanding less, or me growing up and knowing more. Perhaps I simply wasn’t skilled or disciplined enough before.
Why tell the story of the early 1900s in central South Africa?
Half of One Thing is thematically inspired by me being a South African in New Zealand and the conflicting loyalties brought about by this. For the story I inverted the situation, writing about a New Zealander in South Africa. I’ve always had a keen interest in history and the Boer War presented a great setting to write about divided loyalties, with characters of these two countries. I suppose me knowing the Free State a bit better than the old Transvaal made it easier to set the story there.
Are you planning to write more Afrikaans stories?
I wrote in Afrikaans early in my career, but I wrote this book in English and expect to continue writing in English. It worked quite well for this book, I think, to then do the translation and allow some cross-fertilisation to take place between the versions. The Afrikaans does bring its own quality to the writing.
What fascinated you about the Boer War?
For me, the attraction was that the war presents a confluence in the histories of South Africa and New Zealand. For New Zealand, it was the first time the country acted as an independent country on the international stage. For South Africa, it was obviously a major formative event. The history gave me the opportunity to put a New Zealander into a South African context. Plus it being a war, it allows for dramatic external story events as well. So apart from characters wrestling with their fate, falling in love and so on, we have explosions and battles too to spice things up.
In the first part of Half of One Thing, you describe the Free State/Central South Africa beautifully – what about the region captivated you?
The South African landscape has incredible drama and simply tugs at my heartstrings. Perhaps these things are laid down in one’s consciousness at an early age. It’s more than fifteen years since I left South Africa, but still sometimes when I see a landscape photograph and it just rattles me. Functionally it worked for the story to be set in the north-eastern Free State, because the rugged terrain offers lots of hiding places, and that’s where Christiaan de Wet was historically active.
Your knowledge of our region is impeccable. Did you do research or how do you know the area so well?
The landscape descriptions are a combination of memory, research and imagination. I have a cousin in Bethlehem, Wanda van Niekerk, who was a great help, answering my questions about local plants and birds and so on.
Do you think the Boer War is still a relevant topic to write about and why?
Of course. As time passes, we develop new perspectives on things and can write new kinds of stories about old events. I know some subjects are more popular than others, but what makes a book valuable is not the subject, but rather what is done with it. You can write a bad book about the Holocaust or a family tragedy in Welkom, and a good one about someone trying to carry a burning candle through a swimming pool. I once saw a movie where that was the key event.
Do you think that your view on the Boer War has changed since you became an expat?
Not really. The biggest change of perspective for me came many years before when I read a book about the joiners. It’s a little known fact that by the end of the war, one five fighting Boers were on the British side. It’s not something that sits well with the traditional Afrikaner view of the war. It was also fascinating to read first-hand accounts of the war and South Africa by New Zealand soldiers.
Who should read the book?
I’d like to say "everyone"! But realistically, people who like the things in books that I like, which is not only story but also character and the writing itself. The story captivated me for many years while I worked on it. Hopefully it can keep a reader engaged for a few hours or days.
Why did you decide to publish it in Afrikaans and English?
That decision wasn’t mine, but I have to say I was very happy with it. I wrote the book in English and Penguin suggested I do an Afrikaans version too.
maricelle@centralmediagroup.co.za