Letters to my Native Soil

Book excerpt: Lewis Nkosi's influence as both a South African writer and critic has been profound. His significance stems from the fact that he was one of the very few surviving members of the Drum generation of writers of the 1950s; one who continued to write throughout the apartheid and post-apartheid decades. As an author of plays, critical essays, and novels, Nkosi's voice is preserved in Letters to My Native Soil, which collects correspondence between the writer and others, and provides a valuable insight into a working writer's life in Europe and at home. The book is illustrated with personal photographs and accompanied by Nkosi's own work in the form of appendices. (Series: African Languages - African Literatures. Langues Africaines - Litteratures Africaines - Vol. 6)