Taking back the promised land : farm attacks in recent South African literature

• Main Author: Moth, Laura Eisabel.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 2006
• Subjects: South African literature > 20th century > History and criticism.; Land reform > South Africa.; Violence in literature.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=99385

The phenomenon of the farm attack has engendered an angry debate in South Africa today. Controversially, the South African media has paid great attention to violence against white farmers amidst a seemingly endless flood of violence against black farm workers. The now commonplace tales of farm attacks incite racial tension and provoke paranoia, leading one to question why they are repeated at all. Recent works by South African authors have engaged this question, including Jonny Steinberg's Midlands (2002), J. M. Coetzee's Disgrace (1999), and Breyten Breytenbach's Dog Heart (1998). Critics have accused these works of perpetuating racism with their grim depictions of black-on-white violence but have failed to recognize the manner in which these authors contextualize the violence. I argue that each work registers the farm attack as a land claim, made in an era of failed land reform. Furthermore, these works reflexively explore the pragmatics of circulating the stories.