Local authors in the spotlight

In addition to three books about our fascinating region – Annalize Mouton’s A Bend in the Road, on Tesselaarsdal, Robin Lee’s For Keeps, a collection of articles on the history of Hermanus, and a new illustrated souvenir of Hermanus, Just Hermanus, the culture of books, reading and writing seems to be flourishing in a town which is home to many a distinguished author.

Officially classified as a “human settlement”, Tesselaarsdal is not a town or a village, just a few dozen buildings scattered amongst trees against a mountain slope. Even people in the surrounding Overberg know little or nothing about it. But Tesselaarsdal has a history going back nearly 200 years and is unlike any other community in South Africa. Under Apartheid, the residents seem to have been “forgotten” and were allowed to live together as a mixed community. Now new challenges face this apparently tranquil village.

For Keeps: Articles on Hermanus History, which was written between 2013 and 2019, records 150 years of local history. Covering topics such as the many influential personalities that helped shape Hermanus, the early seaside villas, hotels and restaurants, the destructive fires that remain an ever-present threat, the abalone boom and the need to preserve our natural environment and resources, the book takes you through the development of Hermanus from a small fisherman’s village to the prosperous, modern town it is today.

The collaboration of three local residents – Angela Heslop of the Hermanus History Society, John Morris, author and owner of The Book Cottage, and publisher Helga Steyn – has resulted in the publication of this new book on Hermanus. Richly illustrated with photographs accompanied by minimal text, Just Hermanus is the ideal souvenir for visitors to take home; its soft-cover format means it can easily be slipped into a bag or suitcase.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 15)