Barbara Kingsolver kicks off SA tour at Rosebank Mall
ROSEBANK - Internationally-acclaimed writer Barbara Kingsolver gave Rosebank residents and fans from around Joburg a night to remember on 10 February.
The author made her first public appearance in South Africa at the Exclusive Books branch in Rosebank Mall. This is the first of several appearances around the country in promotion of her latest novel Flight Behavior.
According to Kingsolver’s official website, the American literary figure is among the most popular and critically-acclaimed writers of modern times. She has been honoured by her peers, embraced by readers and applauded by the media.
Kingsolver was born in 1955 and grew up in rural Kentucky. She began her literary career as a freelance writer and author in 1985. Since then, she has had over 14 books published, ranging from poetic anthologies and collections, to travelogues and novels, and has contributed to dozens of publications. Her work has been translated into over two dozen languages and has been adopted into the core American curriculum. The author has also been awarded dozens of prizes over the years, among these is the national book award of South Africa for her novel The Poisonwood Bible.
Talita van Graan, the events co-ordinator at Exclusive Books, said, “The event was a massive success, the store was… packed to the rafters with Kingsolver’s… fans… One lady stated she had goosebumps, and one person still had the precious proof copy of Kingsolver’s seminal work The Poisonwood Bible which she got as a young bookseller nearly 20 years ago.”
Van Graan went on to explain that Kingsolver arrived in the country on 8 February for her first visit to Mzansi. The author will appear at various locations around Gauteng before moving on to other cities on 15 February.
