The Afrikaner novel

By Arianna Dagnino

When a car-jacking in Johannesburg leads to the death of her colleague and lover, Zoe du Plessis, a paleontologist of Afrikaner origin, is confronted with her family’s secret.

As she heads for the Kalahari Desert in search of early human fossils, Zoe embarks on an inner journey into the sense of guilt haunting her people.

Meaningful encounters with a San Bushman shaman, a legendary but troubled writer, a Zulu Border War veteran, and her ancestors’ diaries will reshape Zoe’s sense of identity.

“Insightfully and authentically crafted and beautifully written, a timely story of memory, destiny and self-will in the world of post-apartheid South Africa and its origins.” — Dr Iain Edwards, South African contemporary historian.

Top: Front cover of The Afrikaner. © Arianna Dagnino. All rights reserved. Right: Excerpt from The Afrikaner postcard. © Arianna Dagnino. Below: Portrait of the author, Arianna. Photo credit: Stefano Gulmanelli. All rights reserved.

About the author

As a reporter, translator and academic lecturer Arianna Dagnino has crossed many borders and lived in many countries, including a five-year stint in South Africa. The author of books on the impact of globalization and digital technologies, Dagnino holds a PhD from the University of South Australia and currently teaches at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The audiobook of her post-apartheid novel The Afrikaner (Guernica Eds., Toronto), superbly narrated by Los Angeles-based voice actor Dennis Kleinman, has just been released (here is a sample: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCZT8yaBVKk_ZP-UcaSte9LA. In April, the German translation has also been launched by Berlin-based international publisher PalmArt Press under the title Die Afrikaanerin. Find out more at www.ariannadagnino.com