[Interview_2] Zukiswa Wanner

South African writer, Zukiswa Wanner is the author of The Madams (Oshun Books, 2006); Behind Every Successful Man (Kwela Books, 2008) and Men of the South (Kwela Books, 2010).

She is also the founder of the Read SA campaign, a campaign encouraging South Africa to read.

Her first novel, The Madams was shortlisted for the 2007 K Sello Duiker Award.

In this interview, Zukiswa Wanner talks about her latest novel, Men of the South, which has been shortlisted for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize:

How would you describe Men of the South?

In an age where the world is battling with equal rights, Men of the South is a story of the struggles that modern day man is struggling to come to grasps with despite his apparent advantages over his female counterpart.

While, in retrospect, and to most readers, it may appear that my more powerful characters are the first two protagonists, the story was actually a backward thing and came about as a response to the world-famous 2008 negrophobic attacks in South Africa.

The first draft took me the usual two to three weeks it takes me to write but given that there is always edits to do before final publication date, I would say a year and a half.

Which were the most difficult aspects of the work you put into the novel?

I think it was the adjustment from being one male character to another. With three protagonists, I had to work very hard not to make the characters sound as though they were the same guy.

The way I wrote it was experimental as I had never written using the male voice in a novel before - let alone three male voices. So to make it work, I had to focus and do extensive research on the particular character I was working on at any point in time, id est the stay-at-home dad; the gay male in the closet; or, the educated immigrant forced to take a job that's below their qualifications.

Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?

I think I really got into Men of the South and the characters in a way that I have not with any of my other books.

It was also the only book that I have since read post publication many times and enjoyed -- not as my work but as "quite an interesting piece of art."

I believe I have very far to go as a writer but, somehow, reading this book, for me, was like watching yourself in the mirror and thinking, "Wow. I am growing."

What sets Men of the South apart from other novels you've written?

What I mention above. The fact that it was the one book that I have written that I could read post-publication from beginning to end.

It is also my first book where I have not focused on women's issues (and that is not to say I am a post-modern anti-feminist female) but tried to understand the other side of the coin that is manhood. In some ways it was easy for me as I am a mother to a son and kept putting my son in the shoes of all the different male characters in my book.

The other two books have been focused on contemporary social commentary of what bothers me as a woman. So in some way, I think of Men of the South as the male answer to The Madams and Behind Every Successful Man but this time not as spoken by what some women might think is a biased male voice but more from another woman writing in a way she perceives menkind.

In what way is it similar to the others?

I think Men of the South's greatest similarity to my other fictional work is that its set in contemporary South Africa.

I have been referred to in some parts of South African media as Lit-Lite because the language is as accessible as that on television. My vision for books is making them accessible and enjoyable to people who would generally not pick up a book.

When I start preaching to the converted that are the literati, I think I will start thinking of myself as irrelevant.

That said, although the issues my characters deal with from the first book to the present are presented in a non-preachy way, they are not any less serious for that.

And, despite its setting, one of the other constant comments I have been told about my work from people all over the world is that although the characters are South African and mostly black, the readers can identify with the characters in my books. It is a revelation of the similarity of the human condition.

How did you chose a publisher for the novel?

I didn't so much as chose a publisher for Men of the South. I worked with Kwela for my second book (Behind Every Successful Man) and I had a good relationship with the whole team so we both didn't see any need to terminate it (and, I hope, they liked my manuscript).

What will your next book be about?

I am working on two manuscripts and I am not sure which I will let out first so I cannot for sure tell you what my next book will be about.

Related books:

,,

Related articles:

• In a Conversation with South African Writer, Zukiswa Wanner, Geosi Reads, February 17, 2011
• Reading 2010: Zukiswa Wanner (South Africa) [Interview], Wealth of Ideas, February 1, 2011
• Zukiswa Wanner, author of Men of the South [Interview, Book Review], by Janet van Eeden, LitNet, August 17, 2010 

[Interview_1] Zukiswa Wanner

South African author Zukiswa Wanner has a degree in journalism from Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, Hawaii.

She has contributed material to newspapers and magazines that include the Sunday Independent, Oprah, Elle, Juice and Afropolitan.

Her debut novel The Madams (Oshun Books, 2006) explores race relations while her second novel, Behind Every Successful Man (Kwela Books, 2008) looks at what happens when husband and wife roles are reversed. Both novels are set in post-apartheid South Africa.

In this email interview, Zukiswa Wanner talks about her writing:

When did you start writing?

I started writing when I was five. As a prospective published writer though, I was kind of pushed into it by South African writer Lewis Nkosi who had seen some of my opinion pieces and suggested that I should consider writing fiction. I told him I was too much of a realist to write fiction and he told me it was the greatest bull he had ever heard.

I thought it a challenge and in two weeks I had written the first draft of The Madams. I sent it in its rawness to another Drum-era journalist -- the now late Doc Bikitsha -- and he loved it and suggested that I make it longer. He also sent me a list of five publishers to send the manuscript to and of the five, three accepted it. I picked one out of those three, went through a rigorous editing process and the rest, as they say, is history.

How would you describe your writing?

I write stories of contemporary South Africa.

In my writing, I generally focus on the middle class because I believe I see enough of poor stories in Africa on CNN.

Who is your target audience?

I write something that resonates with me and that I would enjoy. It's just coincidental that there are people who have read my work who seem to enjoy it -- which I suppose is an indication that ultimately, many of us have similar aspirations.

Which authors influenced you most?

Zimbabwean author, Shimmer Chinodya because I love the way he manages to bring out serious issues through humour (and therefore not sound preachy). I also love George Orwell's cynicism.

How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?

Apart from language usage, not much.

I tend to use other people's stories -- so some of my friends have been bastardized in the two books that I have written, in one way or other.

What is your main concern as a writer?

My main concern is probably writing something that's entertaining enough for people to keep turning the pages in these days of short attention spans.

How do you deal with this concern?

I am yet to know how to deal with it because traditional 'intellectual' readers want me to be more serious when writing while people who generally have never read tell me how much they enjoy my conversational style. I shall have to keep 'practicing' so I can create a balance between the two.

What are the biggest challenges that you face?

My greatest challenge is being referred to as 'a good female writer' as opposed to just being a good or bad writer. I think it's awfully patronizing and I tend to dismiss people who refer to me as that because my writing (essays, blogs et al) is not limited to 'female issues' (whatever that is) and even if it was, women make up half the world anyway.

Do you write everyday?

I write every day. Mostly emails and responses to people on facebook. But I also generally wake up at about midnight and write throughout the night daily.

I then take a shower, take my son to creche, and then come and sleep for most of the day unless I have assignments that just can't be put on hold.

How many books have you written so far?

Two.

The Madams (Oshun, Nov 2006) is a story of the friendship of three women in today's Johannesburg and the issues they experience.

The novel explores questions like: Is HIV/AIDS just a disease of those under 35? Does our Rainbow Nation tag mean we, in South Africa, are truly over our racial issues and racial labels? Is domestic violence merely a disease of the lower classes? In spite of women getting top jobs and the best Constitution in the world, are women really equal [to men] in today's South Africa?

The book is written in first person and the voice is that of one of the female protagonists.

My latest novel, Behind Every Successful Man (Kwela Books, June 2008) deals with traditionalism versus modernity and questions whether a woman can ultimately be satisfied with just being there for her husband and her children without pursuing her own dreams (well unless of course her dream is to be stay-at-home mom). It's written in third person and gives both the husband's and the wife's perspectives.

In Behind Every Successful Man, Nobantu decides she is going to leave her house to pursue her dreams, to the horror of her CEO husband Andile. He then has to learn how to be a father to his children as opposed to being a cheque book dad, while she has to learn how to be in business without the security of his money to fall back on.

How did you chose a publisher for your latest novel?

I left Oshun because the team that I had worked with on The Madams had all quit and I tend to like working with people I am familiar with (the royalty fee I was being offered at Kwela didn't hurt either!).

I chose Kwela because I was already friends with a lot of their writers and knew the inside scoop, I also knew their publisher and many in their team.

The advantage, in addition to the aforementioned higher royalty percentage, is that they have a better publicity team. People actually stop me in malls now to tell me how much they enjoy my books (the down side is that I can't walk around wearing sweats anymore!)

Which aspects of the work you put into the book did you find most difficult?

Nothing because I was commenting on a time I am living (the present) unlike I suspect, if I had been writing a historical novel (yet another reason why I think Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is so brilliant).

What did you enjoy most

Sometimes I just have a line that feels right. In Behind Every Successful Man that line was from Nobantu's mom as repeated by her mother, "Better to cry in a limo than laugh in a taxi".

What sets Behind Every Successful Man apart from The Madams?

The style as I have highlighted above. And the fact that I actually have a male voice in Behind Every Successful Man.

Are there any similarities?

They both deal with issues that women I know have struggled with at one time or other.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?

Being featured as one of South Africa's Most Phenominal Women this year and my nomination for a South African Literary Award.

Related books:

,,

Possibly related articles:

• [Blog Review] Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize Laureate, Conversations with Writers, October 29, 2007
• [Interview] L. Lee Lowe, author of 'Mortal Ghost', Conversations with Writers, November 3, 2008
• Zukiswa Wanner [Interview_2], Conversations with Writers, February 19, 2011