Author Dan Roodt has published a new e-book on Kindle via Amazon.com, the global American distributor. Entitled Johannesburg In Five, it deals with five minutes in Johannesburg during which a murder in the Sandton City car park takes place, as well as the mob killing of a Malawian in Diepsloot.
“I was actually reading Ulysses by James Joyce, which takes place in Dublin in one day on 16 June. So I thought to myself, why not half an hour, or even five minutes of Johannesburg?”
Asked about the genre of his short Kindle e-book, called a Kindle Single, he laughed: “It’s kind of James Joyce meets Mickey Spillane, with a bit of French nouveau roman thrown in. Johannesburg is synonymous with ostantatious shopping and random murders, so I tried to portray that in my story. It’s also very simply written, for the global reader.”
Why is Roodt writing in English on Kindle and not on paper in Afrikaans like he used to? “Well, the unfortunate thing is, Amazon only accepts English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese. Maybe I’ll try French later; it could be fun! And I want to contact Amazon to ask them when they will start publishing e-books in Afrikaans too, as Facebook and all the other global internet firms are keen on Afrikaans. And then the Afrikaans literary establishment has never really appreciated my writing. Despite only writing here and there in English, a lot of people in the USA are clamouring for me to write more in English so that they can read me. I was quite touched a few days ago by a group of American students who want me to attend a conference in Washington, although I’m not sure I’ll be able to go.”
Roodt is also compiling a book of his essays in English, which he will likewise publish as a Kindle e-book, with a paper edition coming out in the next few months. He is also working on at least two novels in Afrikaans, one a science fiction story of a civilised planet being invaded by barbarians from outer space and one a township novel. “I have always wanted to write a township novel. At one time my parents lived near Alexandra township in Bramley and we used to get burgled about once a month, so I think I have had a taste of township life. I also recently read a lot about Sophiatown and its gang culture, including Nadine Gordimer’s ‘A world of strangers’, which further whetted my appetite for the genre,” Roodt said. (“Townships” are black ghettoes in South Africa.)
In the meantime his fans can read him on the Kindle. “Just remember, you don’t need a Kindle to read my Kindle Single. Anything electronic with an internet connection will do: your computer, your phone, your tablet, you name it. You just download the app and you’re in business. Just look for my author’s page on Amazon.com or go to danroodt.com where I will post a link too.”
Being an e-author is hard work, according to Roodt. “I just say e-eek! As if I didn’t have enough websites to look after, including thousands of Facebook and Twitter friends, I had to create yet another homepage danroodt.com for my global English readers. It’s still very basic, but I intend putting a lot of biographical info on it too, as I constantly have to explain myself and my life in a bizarre country like South Africa.”