Sunday, November 15, 2020

Bryony Rheam interviewed by Tendai Machingaidze in the Mosi oa Tunya Review



from https://www.mosioatunyareview.com/post/all-come-to-dust-an-interview-with-bryony-rheam 


Excerpt from All Come to Dust:

 "Somehow Edmund always knew this day would come. Every night for the last ten years, he had gone to sleep with the thought that it hadn’t happened that day, but it could happen the next. This was it, his day of reckoning. It had bided its time; he had seen it waiting in shadows and corridors and out in the market square. It was in a child’s smile and the sly, sideways glances of the women on the bus, their heads wrapped in doeks and their produce for sale piled high on their laps. It was in the hunchbacked shuffles of old men and the wary aggression of stray dogs. It was in the call of the minibus conductors and the rev of the engines: your day will come.

And so it had. The sky was alive with the blaze of orange from the fire. People ran all over the place like ants that have had scalding hot water poured into their nest, screaming and shouting and wailing. The fire boiled and spat and raged, burning with the confidence that came from knowing controlling it was beyond the power of any there. Some rushed foolishly at it with buckets of water, tins of water, mouthfuls of water. By the time the sirens of the fire engine could be heard, clanging wearily nearer, the fire had beaten its antagonists back and they ran, no longer people, but shadows flitting fearfully through the darkness."


TM: Tendai Machingaidze

BR: Bryony Rheam

TM: Tell us about yourself - where you live, where you studied, where you work?

BR: I live in Bulawayo with my partner, John, and our two children, Sian and Ellie.  I am an English teacher at Girls’ College and I am also a proofreader and freelance writer.  I studied in the UK and then worked for a year in Singapore before returning to Zimbabwe in 2001. In 2008, we left to work in Zambia and ended up staying there for 7 years. We have been back in Bulawayo for five years and do not regret the move.

TM: What inspired you to become a writer? What is your favorite book? Which authors have influenced your writing?

BR: I have always wanted to be a writer.  Even when I was very young, I would write little stories and put them in a book.  When I was eleven, my dad bought me a typewriter and I just loved it and would spend hours producing stories about fairies and dogs and that sort of thing!  I also remember reading a biography of Enid Blyton who was quite a prolific writer and how she kept notebooks and detailed plans of stories.  This really appealed to me.  I think my favourite book is The Great Gatsby because I think Fitzgerald’s writing is just so beautiful.  I remember the first time I read it and how powerfully it affected me.  There is a real strain of cynicism in a lot of modern writing which I don’t like.  Some writers delight in being vulgar or brutal; it’s a tendency that can come across as childish, a need to shock.  Writing like that of Fitzgerald’s is so beautiful, it reminds us how fragile the world really is. It affects us on a much deeper level.

TM: This September Sun has had much success, from being selected as a set book for ‘A’ Level Literature exams in Zimbabwe, to being translated into Arabic. Please tell us about your writing journey with your debut novel. 

BR: It has been quite a journey and when I was sitting on many a long, lonely evening, often without power, I didn’t think it would be as popular as it has been.  I have received many messages from people who say it struck a chord with them; it was something they could relate to.  Perhaps because it was more of an urban novel to those we are used to seeing and maybe because it spoke for a strata of society that is ironically often overlooked in African writing, the middle class.

It has been very popular with people who have left Zimbabwe and feel homesick, but it has also been fairly popular with people who have never even visited Zimbabwe.  

I think my greatest moment was when This September Sun got to number one on Amazon kindle.  That was wonderful.  I didn’t know anything abut it until a friend of mine in the UK messaged me to say that it had picked as the Editor’s Choice and then suddenly sales went right up and it hit number one.  I still have a screen shot of This September Sun at number one and The Da Vinci Code at number two.

TM: Please describe your relationship with amaBooks. What is the importance and significance of local publishing houses to the future of writing in Zimbabwe?

BR: I have a very good relationship with amaBooks and without them I don’t think This September Sun would have been published at all!  They have done wonders for local writers over the years, producing various anthologies of short stories.  My first short story The Queue was published in their first Short Writings From Bulawayo anthology back in 2003 and it gave me the confidence to finish This September Sun.

Often when people find out that I am a writer, they tell me that they have written a book, but have not got it published.  There are so many people out there who would like to write but the chances of being picked up by a big publishing house are very slim.  We need more local publishing houses who are aware of what people here want to read. We also need people who are prepared to give advice to writers on how to edit their work and how best to present it.

TM: In 2017, you were selected as one of five recipients of the Miles Morland Foundation writing scholarships. Please tell us about your experience with MMF and what it means for a writer from Zimbabwe to receive such an award.

BR: This was the third time that I had applied for the Morland and, to be honest, I was going to give it a break in trying, but decided to give it one last chance – and I am glad I did!  Unfortunately, 2018 was not a good year for me as my mother died, but the Morland were very generous and allowed me to take my time about coming back to writing.

I had to submit 10 000 words a month.  This was often quite challenging but also very good as it pushed me to get down to work.  I think we all need that incentive!

TM: Your second novel, All Come to Dust, will launch in Zimbabwe on November 11. Please tell us about your latest work - What inspired it? Why a crime novel?

BR: I have always enjoyed crime writing.  I am a big Agatha Christie fan and so I thought about writing a novel along similar lines set in Zimbabwe, but also reflecting something of our lives here. The plot includes two mysteries: the first is the mystery concerning the death of Marcia Pullman, a woman who was not very well liked by many people.  The second mystery is one from the policeman’s past.  When Edmund was a young boy, his mother worked for a couple called the MacDougals.  Mr MacDougal was a policeman and the inspiration behind Edmund joining the police force.  One day, Edmund got home from school to find the house empty and the MacDougals gone.  The mystery concerning what happened to them has haunted him all his life.

All Come to Dust is more than just a crime novel in the sense that it is also an exploration of where we are today in Zimbabwe and how in so many senses we have lost our way.  We treat each other badly; we exploit the poor; we look after ourselves first.

Each of the characters has some sort of problem that they have to overcome and each of them have a connection with the past that is holding them back.  I feel that in Zimbabwe, we constantly live in the shadow of the past.  The most obvious one is the way in which the government constantly refers to the liberation war and forces the younger generation to be mindful of the sacrifice made, even though it means very little to them. However, there are other ways in which we all hark back to ‘better days’. 

TM: What challenges have you faced as an author in Zimbabwe? What advice would you give to aspiring writers in Zimbabwe who wish to publish short stories as well as novels?

BR: I think that one of the biggest challenges I have faced is from readers and publishers outside of the country who have stereotypes about Africa and what life is like here.  They are stuck with a version that focuses on famine, poverty and disease and they want to see that reflected in what they read.  For anyone wanting to break that mould, it is very difficult to be heard. I don’t think I am alone in this though as I have met many a writer who complains of the same thing.  

What aspiring writers need to do is submit their work on platforms where their work will be easily seen, like this literary journal.  Don’t start by sending work to big publishers as you can wait a long time to hear from them, if at all.  Get your work seen by as many people as possible and build a reputation.  And always keep at it.  Take into account constructive criticism, but don’t give up.  There will always be somebody who doesn’t like your work, but there will always be someone who loves it.




Monday, November 9, 2020

All Come to Dust in Zimbabwe

 

Bryony Rheam's novel All Come to Dust is now available in Zimbabwe - it will be launched in Bulawayo at the Zimbabwe Academy of Music at 6.00pm on Wednesday 11 November.

As many projects across the world, the  publication of All Come to Dust in Zimbabwe has been held back by the Covid-19 pandemic. Two days before the launch, copies are rolling off the press at Directory Publishers of Bulawayo following the installation of up-to-date digital printing equipment there - that installation having been delayed by the travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

Joining Bryony Rheam at the launch will be fellow Bulawayo writer Mzana Mthimkhulu and academic Drew Shaw. All are welcome to come along, free admission.

Bryony Rheam, a winner of the international ‘Write Your Own Christie’ competition, is an enthusiast for the writing of Agatha Christie, and All Come to Dust is written in the style of a Christie detective story. 


Bryony Rheam

In All Come to Dust, Marcia Pullman has been found dead at home in the leafy suburbs of Bulawayo. Chief Inspector Edmund Dube is onto the case at once, but it becomes increasingly clear that there are those, including the dead woman’s husband, who do not want him asking questions.

The case drags Edmund back into his past, to his childhood to when his mother's employers disappeared one day and were never heard from again, an incident that has shadowed his life.

As his investigation into the death progresses, Edmund realises the two mysteries are inextricably linked and that unravelling the past is a dangerous undertaking threatening his very sense of self.

The novel is set in modern day Zimbabwe, but it also looks back to the time just before Independence.


This is Bryony Rheam's second novel, her first novel This September Sun having gained critical acclaim.


The co-publication of All Come to Dust in the United Kingdom by amaBooks and Parthian Books has also been delayed by the pandemic, but the novel will be available there in 2021. The book is being translated into Arabic and will be published out of Egypt by Al Arabi Publishers.

Hot off the press






Monday, March 9, 2020

This September Sun - The Journey

It seems a very long time ago that I was living in London and sharing a house with numerous other young people.  In order to save money, three of us shared a bedroom, a disastrous idea for someone like me who craves privacy and space.  As a result, I turned to my notebook and began to write.  I recorded observations, bits of conversations, thoughts; in short, anything.  I even wrote down things that happened to other people in the house as though they had happened to me.
It seems incredible sometimes that these notes evolved into a manuscript and finally a book.  I remember the feeling I had when I received the first copies of This September Sun, opening the box and taking the books out, not really quite believing that my dream had come true.
A lot has happened since then.  This September Sun was published in the UK by Parthian and got to number one on Amazon. Two years ago, it was translated into Arabic and in 2019, it was launched at the Cairo International Book Fair.  This year, I was delighted to be invited to attend.


I don’t think I have ever seen so many people buying so many books before. There are 22 million people in Cairo and every single one of them appeared to be at the Book Fair. 

As soon as I arrived, I was whisked off to take part in a discussion of the book. It is always interesting to see which questions different interviewers find relevant.  Here, I was asked how long it took me to write and, when I answered ‘ten years’, the next question was naturally ‘why?’  Here, I think back to my London notebook: because, until you have had something published, you are not a writer; you are just an obsessive note-taker.  Moreover, the people who take you least seriously of all are your family so that whenever you need that time off by yourself to write your novel, there is a certain rolling of eyes and reference to you ‘still doing that’ as though if you had any sense, you would have given up on it years ago. My comments seem to resonate with some of the audience, particularly the women, and one lady comes up to me afterwards and says she knows exactly what I meant.
Like many authors, I shy away from classification.  I don’t like being described as an African writer or a woman writer or a white writer. Leaving writing aside, I am all too aware of my rather precarious status as a Zimbabwean and feel somehow that I am out of place, sitting here talking about Zimbabwe. When I am asked, for example, if race relations have improved between white and black people, I wonder if people will believe me if I say I think they have. And when I say that the majority of white Zimbabweans want to be considered as simply Zimbabweans, I hope it rings true with the audience.
In the evening we go out for a meal.  It’s crowded, hectic, chaotic. It’s the perfect place to lose all hang-ups about who you are and where you are from.  From my point of view, coming from a country where no one can escape the cloud of gloom that hangs over us, it’s great to see people out and about, eating with friends and family, enjoying themselves as people should.
On the way back to the hotel, we talk about belly dancers. Sherif Bakr, from the publisher Al Arabi, says that every Egyptian girl knows how to belly dance if only in the privacy of her bedroom. Later on, just as I am falling asleep, I think about the notes I wrote in the bedroom I shared in London.  I make no connection between belly dancing and writing except to say that both are an expression of our inner voice, one that needs expression somewhere, if even in the tiniest, most cramped of spaces.

The Arabic edition of This September Sun is on my shelf beside the other editions. It would be great to see it in other languages, but I am happy with where it has gone so far.  Recently, I saw a picture of it at the Muscat Book Fair.  I felt the pride of a parent who sees their child has grown up into an adult who knows where they want to go.  It is a part of me, but no longer mine.  It’s my story but it will be read by different people in different ways. I’m glad I kept a notebook.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Bryony Rheam at the Cairo International Book Fair

Bryony Rheam is to take part in a discussion session about her novel This September Sun, and its translation into Arabic, with the translator and others involved in the publication by Al-Arabi. She will also be available to sign copies of her book and to discuss it with those who have enjoyed the novel.

The event will take place at 3.00pm on Sunday 2 February at the Cairo International Book Fair.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

This September Sun: The Novel with Legs



Bryony Rheam, whose debut novel, This September Sun, was first published in Zimbabwe in 2009, is set to travel to the 2020 Cairo International Book Fair at the beginning of February as a guest of honour.
The amaBooks cover
The Al-Arabi cover









The novel was launched at the Cairo International Book Fair at the beginning of 2019, having been translated into Arabic and published by the Egyptian publisher, Al-Arabi. The book fair is the largest and oldest book fair in the Arab world, held every year since 1969, and Al-Arabi have exhibited at the fair for forty years. Last year the fair attracted two and a half million visitors.
Cairo International Book Fair

According to Al-Arabi publisher Sherif Bakr, This September Sun has travelled the Arab world since the launch, from Morocco to the Arabian Gulf. In discussing last year's Cairo International Book Fair in an interview with ahramonline, Sherif Bakr said: “We did well; our new titles of translated novels and books in general were very well received with people being very happy to go through piles of books that bring to them ideas from Finland, Serbia, Austria, Zimbabwe and many other countries,” Bakr said.
"One of this year’s newly translated titles for Al-Arabi is the Arabic version of Bryony Rheam’s This September Sun, the gratifying novel that came out in late 2009, examining layers of the lives of the 'settlers' of Rhodesia that continue to haunt Zimbabwe’s grandchildren."
Sherif Bakr
This is the first Africa-centred novel translation for Al-Arabi that has otherwise, over the past four decades, brought to its readers a wide range of political readings on Africa.
The translation of the novel was agreed at the Frankfurt Book Fair in  2016 when Brian Jones, co-director of amaBooks and a participant at the Frankfurt Book Fair Invitation Programme, was introduced to Sherif Bakr by a colleague on the Invitation Programme, Aly Abdel-Moneim of Daraj Publishing. Aly had been enthralled by the description of This September Sun and thought that Al-Arabi publishers would be interested.
Bryony Rheam is very excited to be invited to Cairo and looks forward to meeting readers of her work based in the Arab world. Previously she has appeared at a number of festivals, including the Intwasa Arts Festival in Zimbabwe, the Ake Arts and Book Festival in Nigeria and Africa Utopia in the United Kingdom.