Dog Heart: A MemoirBreyten Breytenbach's meditations are informed by a profound intelligence and wit and an overriding sense of the past. He is captivated by memories of the land that is no more, of the child he must have been. Breytenbach begins Dog Heart with his own beginning in Bonnievale, South Africa, and looks at his homeland through the prism of memory to uncover a new landscape. We read of the ouvolk, the moon and stars and trees and shrubs and rocks that are really petrified shamans, subterranean travelers, death dancers who change themselves into rocks to become invisible to those who invade the land. Then over time they forget to change back. Through searching honesty and dreamlike lyricism, Breytenbach raises the memoir to a new level. |
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Afrikaans Alex Boraine Aunt baboons Babsie Barrydale birds blue boerboel Boetatjie Bonnievale Bredasdorp Breyten BREYTEN BREYTENBACH Breytenbach brother brown bush called Cape Town child Cloete colour comes D. F. Malan dark dead death dust earth eyes face farm farmers father François garden girl glass Gogga grandfather hair hand head hear heart Heitsi Kaggen Karoo Keet Keet's Khoi Khoisan Kloof Koos Sas Kriel Krige Kwaaiman land laugh light live look Lord Charles Somerset Lotus Lovers Walk Malachite sunbirds memory meneer Montagu moon morning mother mountain mouth night Ouma Oupa Jan painted Paradys Rachel Susanna remember Riviersonderend road rocks says shadows shouts singing smell smile smoke snake stone story Street Swanepoel Swellendam talk tell there's tongue Touwsrivier tree turn Uncle veld voice walk wall wife wind wine woman young