Reading matter from UCT

In his foreword to his new edited collection, A City Imagined, published by Penguin, Prof Stephen Watson (pictured above) points out that bookstores run over with volumes on Cape Town's flora, its architecture and such. But nothing, says Watson, has yet been written that captures, if you will, its spirit, its genius loci. So what he did was ask 19 writers - some household names, others not - to, as he tells Monday Paper, write a personal essay in which they "give their take on Cape Town, try to get the measure of the place, define what they perceive to be its essence, and describe their relationship to it". The result is an acclaimed volume in which contributors like André P Brink, Mike Nicol and Jenefer Shute write on both the lighter and the dark sides of Cape Town. "The individual writers' sense of Cape Town is so different one from another, inevitably," says Watson. "Certain people contradict each other." A City Imagined keeps those contradictions in place.

Travelling Light

Travelling Light, a poem by Prof Joan Hambidge, was selected as part of the Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam in the Netherlands in June. The event showcases poetry from around the world. Travelling Light was also published in a special collection after the event. Hambidge has kindly allowed Monday Paper to run the poem.

Travelling light ('n Ars poetica)
From Tachycardia. Jutalit, 1990.

Pak 'n tas sonder illusies
of herinneringe - en die reis
is tevergeefs.

Probee reis sonder fantasie
of drome - en jy kom
nêrens uit.

Skryf 'n opvoubare vers
met skamel ryme, ekonmiese
segging en almal voel:
sê meer, sê meer.

Laat die geliefde maar vertrek
ter wille van die allesoorheersende
krag genaamd poësie -
en net die muses het jou lief.

Tevergeefs die afsê,
dit bly soos littekens op die lyf,
uitgestal op papier.

Moeg van vele kere se liefdes-
verklarings aan net té veel minnaresse -
algar onbetroubaar
soos 'n waterkompas in die woestyn.

Te veel kere gedag ek is verlief -
te veel kere gedag ek verloor.

So sat van die soektog
in die droë panne van ontmoeting
en ontgogeling. Sending misluk.

Maar woorde gespreek (te veel,
te veel) vervals die emosie.

Woorde bly uit-gesproke -
kan nooit ongedaan raak.

(Trek terug. Trek terug.)
Die uiting bly. Net sy gaan
weg met woorde wat vertel.

Om weer my liefde te verklaar
gaan daardie "groot" emosie verfomfaai.

Die groot liefde
soos die groot gedig
bly my steeds ontglip.