![]() ![]() (“She is my archive,” he says with a fond smile.) A mild stroke on Decem, combined with his already existing heart condition, led his doctor to suggest they move away from the seclusion of Nieu Bethesda to somewhere with a better range of medical care. As he talks, he occasionally calls on Paula, working in the other corner of the study, for names, dates and confirmation about events. The intense playwright of the 1970s in rehearsalĪthol requires no prompting, for he is a born raconteur, and takes over from the first moment, telling me how he copes with his heart problems and his recent “beroerte” (“I am working my way through that. Like the best of his writing, the straightforward and unpretentious conversational style has something almost Zen-like about it, a strong sense of “less is more.” His distinctive voice and colourful South African English-hovering charmingly between English and Afrikaans-is complemented by the occasional, conscious and highly theatrical, gesture, often arrested for just a moment, for emphasis, before being completed or else, it is completed in slow motion, to the rhythm of his speech. Yet, it is still recognizably the brooding face of the intense writer I first got to know in the 1960s and 1970s, whose sharp, dark eyes, peering from under those heavy brows, pin you to your chair, while his fiery energy and reflective words cast a spell. With Johan snapping away and Athol talking, I observe his face: at the ripe age of 85, it is less gaunt, the dark beard of yore is snowy white, the hair cropped short. The contrast is astounding: the space upstairs revels in clear light, while suggestive shadows dominate downstairs. ![]() ![]() However, the room seems a little too crowded for a photo-shoot, so we head upstairs to Paula’s study, equally book-filled, but much more spacious. ![]() For him to travel to any imagined and significant “place” in the mind, all distractions need to be cut out. For a self-confessed “regional writer,” the sense of place is always a primary concern-in his work and in his life. Paula mentions that Athol keeps the curtains of his “cell” closed when working, which seems understandable. A more modern lounging chair by the bookshelves points to Athol the avid and eclectic reader. He uses an ornate oak swivel chair, with writerly antecedents, having come from the famous (and sadly missed) Crocott’s Mail in Grahamstown. #The island by athol fugard pdf editor full#He calls it his “cell.” There is a small and much used typist’s desk against the wall, full set of writer’s tools lying ready: his traditional fountain pen and sufficient paper for first drafts, a laptop for the rest of the work. The space is small, intimate and facing south, lined with books, floor to ceiling. “It is here I have begun to write once more,” he says, having mentioned that, for a while, he had feared that his writing impulse had died completely, but that, to his joy, it seems to be coming back slowly. Paula and Johan look for a place to take some photographs, while Athol shows me his favourite room. They are still settling in, but the dwelling already feels cosy and lived in. The promise of summer lurks in the air when photographer Johan Wilke and I are met at the door by the smiling Athol and Paula, who lead us into their lovely two- story townhouse on the banks of, what Athol fondly refers to as, “die Eersterivier.” It is north facing and filled with light, with a lush fenced-in garden, giving access to the footpath that passes by along the river. The article and photographs are published here with the explicit permission of the publishers and editors of Stellenbosch Visio. This particular article is a slightly revised version of a longer early draft of the interview, using some more photographs, in addition to the fine original pictures taken specifically for the interview by Johan Wilke and, Fugard’s wife, Paula Fourie. It was first published in the magazine’s Spring issue of 2017. It took place on August 23, 2017, and was commissioned by Hettie Scholtz for the magazine Stellenbosch Visio. A short drive from Cape Town, his new home in Stellenbosch was the setting for this personal and wide-ranging interview with Temple Hauptfleisch, the former Chair of the Drama Department at the University and the long-time Editor of the South African Theatre Journal. The great South African playwright Athol Fugard recently moved to the city of Stellenbosch, the centre of the country’s major wine region and the home of one of South Africa’s leading universities. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |