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Depression is a dark thread that weaves through post-apartheid fiction in South Africa, and it is reasonable to predict that we will be reading more work informed by mental health as a new generation unpacks the daily impact of sexual trauma and systemic white supremacy.
The university space is another common thread through the works. We know of several new books heading our way that explore the mental anxiety of the new generation – squeezed between conflicting value systems and narratives of black excellence and joblessness. Here are just a few significant post-apartheid works tackling state of mind that have appeared in recent years:
Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe (2001)
A brilliant young novelist who died at the age of 34, Mpe’s seminal novel captured the mental dislocation and despair of rural South Africans moving into urban spaces that are riddled with drugs, crime and xenophobia.
The Quiet Violence of Dreams by K Sello Duiker (2004)
In Duiker’s second novel, a young varsity student called Tshepo ends up in a mental hospital after a psychotic episode. His turmoil is a reflection of what’s happening in the country, and his pressures relate to the isolation of being a black student in a white university. Duiker committed suicide at the age of 30.
Dog Eat Dog by Niq Mhlongo (2004)
Mhlongo brilliantly captured the conditions that lead to anxiety on South Africa’s tertiary campuses in his debut book and in subsequent works. His township narrator, Dingamanzi Njomane, is under pressure as the first child in his family to attend a white-controlled college. Family expectations and poverty rest heavily on his shoulders.
Penumbra by Songeziwe Mahlangu (2013)
A crisp, potently modern new voice with a very dark edge, Mahlangu’s debut is a fierce take on black life in urban Cape Town. Mangaliso Zolo is a recent graduate with an empty job at a large insurance company. He battles daily with mental illness, which is fuelled by his drug-consuming friends and the pressures of charismatic Christianity.
Call it a Difficult Night by Mishka Hoosen (2015)
Hoosen’s debut is in itself a tale of mental illness told in scraps of narrative, poems, dialogues and snippets of historical research. A young woman is institutionalised after a breakdown and reflects on the alienation she experienced during her education. The story is played out in the US and South Africa as she interacts with doctors, friends and fellow patients.
