Where was dalene matthee born
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Circles in a Forest (novel)
1984 novel by Dalene Matthee
| Author | Dalene Matthee |
|---|---|
| Language | Afrikaans |
Publication date | 1984 |
| Publication place | South Africa |
| Pages | 305 |
| ISBN | 9780394539119 |
| Followed by | Fiela's Child |
Circles in a Forest is a novel by Dalene Matthee, originally written and published in Afrikaans as Kringe in 'n Bos in 1984. It is the first book in her series of four "forest novels", set in the Knysna forest. The other three "forest novels" are Fiela se Kind (Fiela’s Child) published in 1985, Moerbeibos (The Mulberry Forest) published in 1987 and Toorbos (Dreamforest, later translated as Karoelina’s Forest) published in 2003. Circles in a Forest became a best-seller and has been translated into English, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Icelandic, Spanish, Hebrew, German, Swedish, Italian, Finnish and Norwegian.[1] The novel is a coming-of-age story about an Afrikaanswoodcutter named Saul Barnard, set in and around the South African town of Knysna in the nineteenth century, focusing on the impact o
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Dalene Matthee, author of 13 books, is best known for her four "Forest books" on the Knysna Forest: Circles in a Forest, Fiela's Child, The Mulberry Forest and Dreamforest. Dalene was born in Riversdale in the Southern Cape, South Africa, in 1938. She began her writing career with children's stories and short stories before taking on her first novel after a hiking trip through the Outeniqua hiking trail around Knysna. Her curiosity led to a journey through the stories and studies of these indigenous forests. In the end, she gathered enough material for four books. Each book is underpinned by thorough research. Her books have been translated into 14 languages, and some of her books have been used as prescribed books in schools for over 20 years. Dalene has received various awards, including the ATKV Prose Award (4 times), the Southern African Institute of Forestry Award (twice), the Swiss Stab Award and the Department of Arts and Culture's SA Literary Award (posthumously). She is the only South African author of whom over 1 million Afrikaans books have been
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Moerbeibos
I struggled with how to rate this book. Objectively, it’s more like a 3, but I did not enjoy it at all. So a 2 seems more honest, but keep in mind that you might like it better than I did.
(Note: this review is a tad spoilerish, although I’ve kept it vague.)
The Mulberry Forest is essentially a book about red tape; or, about how the colonial South African government’s bad policies, apathy and lack of accountability ruin the lives of its main characters. For that reason, I found it an unpleasant read; rather like spending several hours in a car with a driver who’s speeding in the wrong direction and pays no attention when you point out the problem.
The premise is this: the government moves several dozen Italian immigrants out to a remote forest clearing where they’re supposed to start a silk industry, promising them a "mulberry forest" which does not in fact exist; the government refuses to acknowledge or remedy the problem. The
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