Author(s): Alfred Marks

Modern & Contemporary Literature | LOCAL RELEASES

In his stories Alfred Marks brings to life a time-not so long ago-when the grip on power by the whites of southern Africa seemed unbreakable, when only in the uneasy stirrings of their dreams did it occur to them that all might not be well.-J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize-winning author Alfred Marks uses his childhood experiences in southern Africa as the inspiration behind these twelve short stories. The title story of his collection reflects his own experiences as a southern African immigrant in Australia. His protagonist, an antiques shopkeeper, meets a fellow emigre. Delight is followed by reservation when the two men find that they differ on politics. The encounter perfectly captures the loneliness felt by those who have left their homeland behind. The shopkeeper wistfully remembers a cricket trip he took with his school friends. An encounter with a cow herder resonates with the shopkeeper, and he reexamines his actions through adult eyes. Marks's other tales bottle up boyhood youth and coming of age and present them graphically to his readers. The stories that follow also chronicle the moments when characters' beliefs about their culture and identity are challenged. The Heavens of Home proves to be a masterfully told, thought-provoking read. "