Writing for Salvation

Forty years after coming of age in South Africa in the 1960s, the author unearths a forgotten manuscript written at that time. Through rereading this early work, he revisits the political and religious falsehoods that had characterised the context of his genesis as a writer, particularly as revealed by the fictional characters that he then created. Two women have been damaged by the realities of the time, one crushed by the withering world of Afrikaner urbanisation, the other by the devastating impact of racially defined morality. They bring tragedy and greater maturity to the central character, a young visual artist who falls in love with both these shattered individuals. Tragic yet liberating, the multi-pronged narrative that unfolds is as innovative in style and concept as it is illuminating of emotional and intellectual imprisonment. The conclusions are undeniably triumphant, however, suggestive as they are of the exhilaration of living life against a generally repressive and delusive stream. "A work of profound understanding and emotional intensity." I H Fleming Biographical note on David Robbins: David Robbins is widely regarded as a writer of significant insight and ability. He began publishing in 1985. Two years later he won South Africa's prestigious CNA Literary Award, and has published regularly since then. His books include travel and short fiction, as well as some biography, history and socio-political analysis. He lives in Johannesburg with his wife Gail Robbins.