Tatamkhulu Afrika’s BITTER EDEN published in the UK today

'Bitter Eden is earthy and lyrical, caustic and moving.' – Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap

BITTER EDEN, Tatamkhulu Afrika’s semi-autobiographical World War II novel is published today by Toby Fountaine of Blue Mark Books.

Based on the author’s own experience as a prisoner-of-war in World War II, this frank and poetic novel deals with three men who must negotiate the emotions that are brought to the surface by the physical closeness of survival in the male-only camps.

First published in the UK by Arcadia in 2002, shortly before the 82-year-old author's death, the modern classic was published by Picador USA last year and was selected in the 2015 Stonewall Book Awards as an Honor Book of Literature.

Named in NPR’s Best Books of 2014, Saeen Jones writes that ‘Afrika's autobiographical novel based on his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking.’

Presses de la Cite pre-empted for French rights for the novel, which they published for the Rentrée Litteraire in Autumn 2015.

The book reveals the complex rituals of camp life and the diversion of the POW theatre (in which, in real life, the author played Lady Macbeth and frequently shared a stage with fellow prisoner Denholm Elliot). It lays bare the terrible cruelties, but also the loyalties and deep bonds the men know will never be replicated when the return to reality. BITTER EDEN is a tender, powerful book, of lives inexorably changed, of a war whose ending does not bring peace. More than simply ‘war’ literature, or ‘gay’ literature, it is a deeply moving, human work about the meaning of love, and what it is to be a man.

Tatamkhulu Afrika was born in Egypt of Arab/Turkish parents who moved to South Africa while he was still a baby, but died in the influenza epidemic of 1920. He was adopted, but later, after learning the full details of his history, he converted to Islam, became active in his opposition to apartheid, and changed his name to Tatamkhulu Afrika ('Grandfather Africa' in Xhosa). Starting to write in earnest late in life, he published seven prize-winning volumes of poetry and several novellas. He was included in the Carcanet anthology Ten South African Poets. Bitter Eden was his last novel. A new edition has recently been published in Italy by Playground.

Publisher Toby Fountaine says: ‘The unequalled bonds formed between fighting men has been explored in great literature before; but this story, about how that bond becomes a deeper love, has not. It is hauntingly written and unforgettable.’

Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann remembers how the near-blind writer’s handwritten letter arrived by post, along with the photocopy of a manuscript typed by a friend: ‘I knew Tatamkhulu Afrika’s name then as a poet and anti-apartheid activist, but nothing could prepare me for the enduring impact of this slow-simmering story. It is one of the great pleasures of championing an author to see others fall in love with a book too and BITTER EDEN is a novel so many people become absolutely passionate about. I am glad that Toby is one of that discerning number.’

Praise for BITTER EDEN:

‘Afrika ‘shows with an insider’s empathy how, in the myriad battles of our recent past, an even greater number of private wars were lost or won.’ – Argus.

‘BITTER EDEN’s love is neither kind nor tame nor ever adorned.  The word love is never mentioned, because love—if this is really the name for it—is so spare and brutal and bare-knuckled that the characters themselves aren’t even aware of it.  But this book will haunt you, and stay with you, and won’t ever let go, just like the memory of a love that never happened but should have happened continues to exact its toll of misfired hopes and regrets.  But the language is not spare and the poetry here, like shards of a broken bottle, is simply everywhere.’ – André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name

'Harsh, exquisite and concise, an astonishing story about men in close quarters forging relationships that border on trust and betrayal - and how love, in war, is an ambivalent bond.' -- The Independent

'An extraordinarily powerful novel… it reads like an epic prose poem - or a kind of deathbed confession.' - Mark Simpson, Independent on Sunday  (Books of the Year, 2002)

‘Gorgeously written…a small masterpiece’ - The San Francisco Chronicle Review

‘A gripping study of the dehumanising effects of war and an empathetic portrait of illicit love’ -- The New York Times 

BLUE MARK BOOKS TO PUBLISH CLASSIC WWII NOVEL BITTER EDEN

Toby Fountaine of Blue Mark Books has acquired UK and British Commonwealth rights (excluding Southern Africa) to a haunting autobiographical novel which Elizabeth Gilbert describes as ‘a jewel of a tale’. BITTER EDEN is based on the late Tatamkhulu Afrika’s experiences as a WWII prisoner of war after being captured in North Africa after the fall of Tobruk and its quiet power has touched many readers – from its first publication by Arcadia in 2002, shortly before the death of its octogenarian author, through its US debut and European translations, most recently Presses de la Cite’s French edition last year.

As Andre Aciman wrote: ‘This book will haunt you, and stay with you, and won’t ever let go.’ US publisher Stephen Morrison returned to the book time and time again over a decade before being in a position to acquire it for Picador US, where it was published to many accolades in 2014. He wrote an eloquent essay on his journey with the book for Publisher’s Weekly, which also forms part of the introduction to the American edition. The San Francisco Chronicle Review praised the ‘gorgeously written’ BITTER EDEN as ‘a small masterpiece’ and The New York Times described it as ‘a gripping study of the dehumanising effects of war and an empathetic portrait of illicit love’.

This frank and beautifully written novel deals with three men who see themselves as ‘straight’, but must negotiate the emotions that are brought to the surface by the physical closeness of survival in the male-only prison camps. The book reveals the complex rituals of camp life and the diversion of the POW theatre (in which, in real life, the author played Lady Macbeth and frequently shared a stage with fellow prisoner Denholm Elliot). It lays bare the terrible cruelties, but also the strange loyalties and deep bonds the men know will never be replicated on civvie street. BITTER EDEN is a tender, bitter, powerful book, of lives inexorably changed, of a war whose ending does not bring peace. More than simply ‘war’ literature, or ‘gay’ literature, this is a deeply moving, human work about the meaning of love, what it is to be a man.

Blue Mark Books will publish in hardback in November 2016 and publisher Toby Fountaine says: ‘The unequalled bonds formed between fighting men has been explored in great literature before; but this story, about how that bond becomes a deeper love, has not. It is hauntingly written and unforgettable.’

Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann remembers how the near-blind writer’s handwritten letter arrived by post, along with the photocopy of a manuscript typed by a friend: ‘I knew Tatamkhulu Afrika’s name then as a poet and anti-apartheid activist, but nothing could prepare me for the enduring impact of this slow-simmering story. It is one of the great pleasures of championing an author to see others fall in love with a book too and BITTER EDEN is a novel so many people become absolutely passionate about. I am glad that Toby is one of that discerning number.’

Tatamkhulu Afrika’s BITTER EDEN out in paperback in the US today

Tatamkhulu Afrika’s haunting, semi-autobiographical World War II novel is published in paperback today in the States, by Picador USA.

BITTER EDEN is based on Tatamkhulu Afrika’s own capture in North Africa and his experiences as a prisoner-of-war in World War II in Italy and Germany. This frank and beautifully written novel deals with three men who must negotiate the emotions that are brought to the surface by the physical closeness of survival in the male-only camps.

Named in NPR’s Best Books of 2014, Saeen Jones writes that ‘Afrika's autobiographical novel based on his experiences as a prisoner of war during World War II is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking.’

BITTER EDEN has been selected in the 2015 Stonewall Book Awards as an Honor Book of Literature.

Presses de la Cite recently pre-empted for French rights for the novel, which they will publish for the Rentrée Litteraire in Autumn 2015.

Praise for BITTER EDEN:

‘Afrika ‘shows with an insider’s empathy how, in the myriad battles of our recent past, an even greater number of private wars were lost or won.’ – Argus.

‘BITTER EDEN’s love is neither kind nor tame nor ever adorned.  The word love is never mentioned, because love—if this is really the name for it—is so spare and brutal and bare-knuckled that the characters themselves aren’t even aware of it.  But this book will haunt you, and stay with you, and won’t ever let go, just like the memory of a love that never happened but should have happened continues to exact its toll of misfired hopes and regrets.  But the language is not spare and the poetry here, like shards of a broken bottle, is simply everywhere.’ – André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name

'Bitter Eden is earthy and lyrical, caustic and moving.' – Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap

Tatamkhulu Afrika’s BITTER EDEN sold to Picador USA

Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann is delighted to announce a new deal for the Estate of Tatamkhulu Afrika, the acclaimed South African poet and novelist who died in 2002.

Stephen Morrison of Picador USA has acquired North American rights to Bitter Eden, a powerful autobiographical novel which was first published in the UK by Arcadia in 2002, shortly before the 82-year-old author's death.

Isobel Dixon says: 'Stephen and I first corresponded about this extraordinary novel more than a decade ago, when he said he had read the novel "in one fell swoop on a cold Saturday afternoon and was unable to put it down".  He described it as "powerful, provocative and incredibly moving" - but added regretfully that he wouldn't be able to offer. But it made such an impact that he asked to keep the copy for his personal library and we've spoken about it at intervals since, at several different publishing houses. I'm thrilled that as publisher of Picador US, he's now been able to return to this truly unforgettable story and acquire it for the 2014 list.'

Tatamkhulu Afrika was born in Egypt of Arab/Turkish parents who moved to South Africa while he was still a baby, but died in the influenza epidemic of 1920. He was adopted, but later, after learning the full details of his history, he converted to Islam, became active in his opposition to apartheid, and changed his name to Tatamkhulu Afrika ('Grandfather Africa' in Xhosa). Starting to write in earnest late in life, he published seven prize-winning volumes of poetry and several novellas. He was included in the Carcanet anthology Ten South African Poets. Bitter Eden was his last novel. A new edition has recently been published in Italy by Playground.

Praise for BITTER EDEN:

'Bitter Eden is one of those rare books that is both tender and tough, that is a punch to the stomach and a caress to the face. This is an exploration of men in war, and though it rings absolutely true to the experiences of Allied prisoners in the Second World War, it also transcends the specific and the historic to be a moving and unsettling chronicle of the ferocious bonds and dangerous conflicts that emerge when any group of men are pushed to extremes. Bitter Eden is earthy and lyrical,  caustic and moving. It is a thrilling read.' -- Christos Tsiolkas, author of THE SLAP

'Harsh, exquisite and concise, an astonishing story about men in close quarters forging relationships that border on trust and betrayal - and how love, in war, is an ambivalent bond.' -- The Independent

'An extraordinarily powerful novel… it reads like an epic prose poem - or a kind of deathbed confession.' -- Mark Simpson, Independent on Sunday  (Books of the Year, 2002)