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The Sun Kept Shining: South African Stories

by Helen J. Anderson

141 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #07-0370; ISBN 1-4251-1963-8; US$14.04, C$16.15, EUR10.95, £7.26

"The Sun Kept Shining" is a collection of poignant stories of village life in South Africa during the apartheid era.

About the Book

"The Sun Kept Shining" is a collection of poignant stories of village life in South Africa during the apartheid era. Mr. Mkhize, the Schoolmaster, appears in all the stories thereby giving a sense of continuity. The stories reflect the struggles of black people and their success in maintaining their dignity and fortitude under extremely difficult circumstances. They tackled hardships by retaining a sense of community. Abiding anguish, particularly for the women, was the breakup of family life imposed upon them by the laws of segregation whereby men had to leave the rural areas to earn a living in towns and cities and the families were not permitted to join them. The stories are fictional but all are based on facts true to life at that time.

Benefits for the Reader

This gripping collection of short stories set in the Apartheid era gives the reader a valuable insight into the impact of the Apartheid laws on the lives of black people.

The reader will gain a better understanding of this recent episode of South African history and above all will gain inspiration from the strength, dignity and spirit that characterized the communities on whom the Apartheid laws were imposed.

From an educational point of view, the reader will derive knowledge from the village people's experiences and be able to relate these to current circumstances, opportunities and potential.

To quote her Excellency, The Ambassador of South Africa to The Netherlands, Ms. H.M. Mkhize: "Helen's work introduces the unfinished business of the historical record about the past".

About the Author

Helen J. Anderson was born in Durban, South Africa. During the Second World War when her father served with the South African armed forces in North Africa and Italy, she attended Eshowe boarding school in Zululand and spent her holidays with her grandparents on their sugar farm on the Natal north coast.

After completing her education in South Africa, she lived in Salisbury, Rhodesia (later Harare, Zimbabwe) where she met her husband.

The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was dissolved in 1966 and the family moved from Salisbury to Lasaka, capital of the newly independent country, Zambia and lived there for five years.

Nine years after transferring to South Africa, Helen and her husband moved with their daughters to The Netherlands where they now live.