In this exceptional, genre-busting book, one of South Africa’s most significant writers turns her powers of empathy and observation toward the most important, and possibly most difficult, relationship of her life.
Set in the dramatic, sparse landscape of the Free State, Blood’s Inner Rhyme explores a profound generational gap. How can equality emerge from a bigoted society? Where does love fit in the midst of ideology?
Krog searches for the answers by tracing her and her mother's creative and domestic symbioses, as well as the historical touchstones – particularly the Anglo-Boer War – that defined their work and fractured their society. In Krog's masterful hands, their writing becomes an intimate conversation between two intellectual powerhouses.
Far-ranging, poetic and unfailingly compassionate, Blood's Inner Rhyme traverses history and heritage, land redistribution and love across racial divides. This is a work of immense insight into the unlovable parts of our pasts and our selves.
This edition is not for sale in South Africa.
The South African edition of this book is published by Penguin Random House South Africa.
“Mother and daughter find each other in words. Tender, intimate, and excruciatingly beautiful.”
– Het Parool
“A book to satisfy your reading hunger. Buy it blindly.”
– Knack
“A brilliant, impressive novel, ranging over a whole century of South African history while maintaining its personal story. A book about a difficult feeling – call it love.”
– de Volkskrant
“Majestic, shimmering.”
– Daily Maverick
“Exceptional, superb, cleansing.”
– The Johannesburg Review of Books
