It was a bittersweet evening, a celebration and a longing. When C. J. (Jonty) Driver passed away last year, he left behind a memoir, which his friend and brother-in-law, J. M. Coetzee, edited and wrote the Foreword to. Nick Mulgrew at uHlanga Press and I at Karavan Press had the privilege of co-publishing Dayspring, and we launched it this week at Clarke’s Bookshop.
Two family friends, Maeder Osler (who features prominently in the book and could speak to the recalled memories) and David Attwell (who knew Jonty and has always admired his work), were in conversation about the memoir and invited questions and comments from the audience, which filled the bookshop to the brim.
I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this book to life and in launching it! It is a pleasure to be able to share Dayspring with readers. The book includes six of Jonty’s poems selected by J. M. Coetzee, photographs and a deeply moving Afterword by Jonty’s children, Tamlyn, Dax and Dominic Driver.
Dayspring is a recollection of Driver’s South African youth – his childhood as a reverend’s son in Kroonstad and Grahamstown-Makhanda preceding his extraordinary student years at the University of Cape Town, during which he edited the student newspaper Varsity and became enmeshed in radical student politics.
As president of the anti-apartheid National Union of South African Students, Driver was detained by the security police, tortured and imprisoned in solitary confinement in Cape Town. Even after fleeing to England, Driver remained a bête-noire for the apartheid authorities, with ex-president B. J. Vorster keeping personal notes on Driver’s activities.
But all that comes later in his life. Dayspring is a tender and deeply personal book, offering an intimate picture of a family coming to terms with the losses of the Second World War. It is the story of a father and son recognising their differing beliefs, and of a young man navigating the joys and pitfalls of romance. As a direct descendant of the 1820 Settlers, Driver examines the contradictory beliefs and institutions of the South Africa he grew up in – particularly its boarding schools – with unique insight and humour.
Throughout the reader discovers the moments of inspiration, failure and literary exchange that were crucial to the development of Driver’s fiction, celebrated internationally during his lifetime, as well as his poetry, which, even before his death in 2023, has been lauded as one of the most significant bodies of work by a modern South African poet.
In Dayspring, we are witness to the formation of a sensitive, incisive intellect; someone who did not simply engage with the world through literature, but faced up to it, too. This is an extraordinary book.
Together with the Protea Distribution Team, Tamsin Doubell (on the very left above) has been a supportive, caring and significant behind-the-scenes driving force of Karavan Press’s success. I have known Tamsin in her bookseller days for well over a decade and have been working with her at Protea Distribution for the past five years. Today marks her last day at Protea Distribution, and I cannot express how sorry I am to see her go. All I can say is: THANK YOU, Tamsin! – for everything you have done for Karavan Press and our authors and books! May the next chapter in your life be a great adventure. We will miss you!
Karavan Press and uHlanga invite you to the Cape Town launch of C. J. Driver‘s posthumous memoir Dayspring, edited and with a foreword by J. M. Coetzee. The book will be launched with a discussion between David Attwell and Maeder Osler.
Tuesday, 16 July 2024, at Clarke’s Bookshop, 199 Long Street, Cape Town. Free entry!
It has been such an honour and joy to work on this stunning memoir with J. M. Coetzee, Dorothy Driver and Nick Mulgrew, and I look forward so much to sharing the book with readers.
I want to thank J. M. Coetzee and the Driver Family for entrusting us with the manuscript. I did not know Jonty myself, but I read his work, and we corresponded occasionally about his New Contrast subscription when I was the business manager and one of the board members of the SALJ. He was always supportive and kind and lovely to engage with. Reading the manuscript he left behind when he passed away last year in May, I knew that I would not be able to do it justice as a publisher without the help and support of Jonty’s last poetry publisher, Nick Mulgrew of uHlanga Press. I cannot thank Nick enough for embarking on this co-publication with me. We have been working together in all kinds of capacities since 2015, but this is the first time that uHlanga Press and Karavan Press are co-publishing a book, and what a special one it is. Beautifully written, tenderly honest, insightful and simply extraordinary, Dayspring is a literary gem.
Karen Jennings has delivered another masterpiece! The compelling Deidre Van Deventer confronts her family’s dark past in this riveting novel about trauma, guilt, and entrapment. In her dismal abode in the drought-ravaged Cape Town of 2028, the protagonist receives a call from the South African police department. Her family home, reclaimed by the government, is now the scene of a criminal investigation. After decades underground the remains of bodies have been found on this property. Detectives interrogate Deidre about her missing brother’s links with a 1990’s pro-apartheid group, but she appears to know nothing about this.
What Deidre does know is that, because of her sibling, she was denied her dream life. Instead, she is left with an aging mother, and she’s dependent on government help and kind neighbours. Fresh evidence surfaces and detectives keep gently pressurising Deidre to give them anything at all that she might remember …
Jennings’s vivid, stark prose and visceral imagery secure her a place as one of our greatest writers.
I dare you to read this intense, unforgettable novel.
Gail Gilbride is the author of Under the African Sun and Cat Therapy.
No – listen – I carried on. Even now, some days, the weight buckles my knees.
“Shari Daya’s poems bring out what she calls ‘the thrill of hot, soft, quiet lives’: beach holidays and household incense, the pains and pleasures of childhood and parenthood and the professional joys of geography, Indian Ocean migration, the anatomy of the cornea, and the special beauty of the Cederberg. Her language is serious, quiet, and sometimes spectacular.” – Imraan Coovadia
“Shari Daya’s Land | Lines is an exquisitely-crafted kaleidoscope of poetry and memoir. Daya’s text – a series of meditations on remembrance, parenting, identity, gardening, the wild freedoms of nature, the joys and dangers of childhood – glows. She brings a sense of wonder to the quotidian that invites the reader to glimpse at her life and, perhaps, see their own lives anew. I loved every gorgeous sentence and saw, as I read it, that rare, precious thing in literature: a Cape Town, both past and present, that I recognised.” – Nadia Davids
“Shari Daya’s debut collection is a tender and moving evocation of the complex intersections of family, ancestry and private spaces. Daya writes with quiet confidence. She cares deeply about every word and image, and this makes the reader care deeply too.” – Kobus Moolman
ISBN: 978-1-7764726-9-7
Publication date: July 2024
About the author:
SHARI DAYA is a geographer and poet from Cape Town. Her poetry and essays explore the intricate and entangled geographies of lineage, place and the body. Her work has appeared in the literary journals Obsidian, Stanzas, New Contrast and the anthologies Africa! My Africa! and I Wish I’d Said… Vol. 5: A Product of the AVBOB Poetry Project. She earned an MA in Creative Writing, with distinction, at the University of Cape Town in 2023.
SHARI DAYA is a geographer and poet from Cape Town. Her poetry and essays explore the intricate and entangled geographies of lineage, place and the body. Her work has appeared in the literary journals Obsidian, Stanzas, New Contrast and the anthologies Africa! My Africa! and I Wish I’d Said… Vol. 5: A Product of the AVBOB Poetry Project. She earned an MA in Creative Writing, with distinction, at the University of Cape Town in 2023.
Face is a very faraway land that many of you might not have heard of before. Although the name will probably be strange to you, the goings-on there are all too familiar. As with most beautiful places, its inhabitants – the Freckolions and the Spots – are bitterly arguing over Face’s vast landscape.
One day an alien craft descends on Face and sends the Freckolions and Spots into panic. Is this another opponent to try and conquer their home, or is it the answer the Spots and Freckolions have been looking for?
ISBN: 978-1-7764726-1-1
Publication date: July 2024
Meet a few of the characters of Dot to Dot …
… Spot and Zit Zat …
… and (my absolute favourite!) …
Meet the author …
LISA TREDOUX is a South African actress with a passion for storytelling across various mediums, making her literary debut. Through her enchanting children’s book, Lisa taps into the simplicity of childhood narratives, reminding adults of the clarity in communication found within these tales. With a heart for conveying meaningful messages, Lisa weaves a delightful world for young readers to explore and learn. Her mission? To teach kids the invaluable lessons of self-love and kindness towards others.
The original and the published book.
Lisa wrote, illustrated and put together the original Dot to Dot during the lockdown. The moment I saw the book, I knew it would become Karavan Press’s first publication for children (and all those who love meaningful, fun, illustrated storytelling). I look forward to sharing this delightful story with readers of all ages.
Meet LISA TREDOUX, a South African actress with a passion for storytelling across various mediums, making her literary debut. Through her enchanting children’s book, Dot to Dot, Lisa taps into the simplicity of childhood narratives, reminding adults of the clarity in communication found within these tales. With a heart for conveying meaningful messages, Lisa weaves a delightful world for young readers to explore and learn. Her mission? To teach kids the invaluable lessons of self-love and kindness towards others.
karavanpress.com 