A sea is brewing
- Authors: Mama, Sibongakonke
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , Xhosa poetry 21st century , South African poetry (English) 21st century , Psychic trauma in literature , Women in literature , Diaries -- Authorship , Books Reviews
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406281 , vital:70255
- Description: My thesis is a collection of poems that draws on the complexity of not belonging in places, with people, or within families. I engage my own alienation as well as that of my parents, black people generally, and women in particular. I take inspiration from Uruguayan poet Fabián Severo’s autobiographical long poem, Night in the North, which chronicles the poet’s experience of growing up in linguistic and cultural borderlands. I am also influenced by Chilean poet Carmen García’s ability to move between the concrete and the abstract in translations of her poems from the collection Gotas sobre loza fría. As much as my poems traverse a metaphysical space, they are also set in concrete places – Tutura, Gcuwa, Johannesburg, and Cape Town. Like Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña’s Spit Temple, I move between the physical and spiritual realms for a better understanding of my estrangement. I also draw on South African poet Mangaliso Buzani’s book, a naked bone, for its fluid combination of line and prose poetry. I write in isiXhosa and English as a reflection of my mixed cultural and linguistic existence. I seek to harness rhythm and harmony, as well as the quiet, between words. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-10-14
Poems caught in dreams
- Authors: Jafta, Nthabiseng Rose JahRose
- Date: 2022-10-14
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African poetry (English) 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406249 , vital:70252
- Description: My thesis is a collection of Lyrical and Prose Poetry. I am strongly influenced by Marina Tsvetaeva’s observation that “The condition of creation is a condition of dreaming.” As a writer I want to contribute to human knowledge by drawing from a wide literary ancestry, participating in a community of distinct voices and styles to capture and preserve the language of dreams. I fuse inherited knowledge, visions, dreams, my own experiences and what I have discovered through listening to music, reading and my own experiments in exploring poetry in dreams, thoughts and lived experiences. I am inspired by Sindiwe Magona, how she chose to express her spirituality and personal narratives into her work, and Aimé Césaire’s vision “The ground of poetic knowledge, [is] an astonishing mobilization of all human and cosmic forces.” I particularly enjoy intense forms of expression that hold substance and provoke one to elevate in knowledge and in writing. Exploring these combination of forces from these writers affords me an opportunity to write my dreams as reality. Exploring the characters, the different scenes, symbols and colours as poems flashing super/naturally yet leave one with fathomable felt, though sometimes hazy interpretations. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-10-14
Hiding no scars
- Authors: Mhlongo, Sanele
- Date: 2022-04-07
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African poetry (English) 21st century , Interpersonal relations in literature , Diaries -- Authorship , South African essays (English) 21st century , Russian poetry 20th century History and criticism , South African fiction (English) 21st century History and criticism , Greek poetry History and criticism , German poetry 20th century History and criticism
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/294311 , vital:57190
- Description: My thesis is a collection of free-verse narrative and prose poetry focusing on rural life and people, as well as my personal relationships. Poetry through its play with language has the ability to say things with immediacy and allows unnoticed things to acquire relevance. It gives me a framework within which to express difficult themes such as family relationships, death, solitude, and poverty. In writing these poems I have drawn on the work of Constantine P. Cavafy, particularly the poems ‘Ithaka’, ‘The City’ and ‘As Much As You Can’ which showcase his consistently simple narrative style that covers profound subjects. I have also been influenced by Paul Celan’s poetry in his collection Breathturn Into Timestead where poems such as ‘Corona’, ‘In praise of remoteness’ and ‘Twelve Years’ demonstrate how poetry can have pace through tightly controlled yet experimental structure. I have also drawn on Anna Akhmatova’s symbolic poetry, specifically the poems ‘Now the pillow’s’, ‘He loved three things, alive’ and ‘Prologue’ from the selection Anna Akhmatova: Selected Poems which has its intention the re-creation of the past in the present. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04-07
[iLahleko - Loss]
- Authors: Qhali, Itumeleng
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , Xhosa poetry 21st century , South African poetry (English) 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) 21st century , Loss (Psychology) in literature , Poetry History and criticism , Bilingual authors , Bilingualism and literature , Bilingualism in literature
- Language: English , Xhosa
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191825 , vital:45169
- Description: My thesis is a collection of poems and prose that explores the disjunction of losses for women and children across the two languages I inhabit, isiXhosa and English. Ukulahlekelwa lithemba, ukudukelwa yingqondo, ukholo, ubuwena, umzimba nothando. For me, isiXhosa captures the innate musicality and deep emotions within a word or a sound that are not available in English. On the other hand, English readily produces visceral images that are more difficult for me to access in isiXhosa. Kolu phononongo ndikwasebenzisa namagama emboleko ukuze ndikhulise isigama. Ndisebenzisa amagama azibeka zinjalo iimvakalelo, angqalileyo kuncwadi lwesiXhosa. Ndisebenzisa zombini ilyric form kunye neprozi ngenxa yesingqi esiphuhliswa yilyric, nangenxa yenkululeko umbali ayifumanayo kwiprozi. As a bilingual writer ndifuthelwe sisingqi nobunzulu bentlungu obufumaneka in the translated and bilingual works of Isabella Motadinyane, noMarina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva, imibongo yeDaikwan eguqulwe nguStephen Watson ethi Song of the Broken String; iimbongi zespanish ezinjengo Antonia Machado; ngendlela abasebenzisa ngayo ulwimi lwabo ukunabisa nokugqithisa umyalezo ngeentlungu abadibana nazo, bakwanaso nesingqi somculo othuthuzelayo kwimibongo yabo. The structure of my thesis is inspired by the innovative mixed genre layout of Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese’s Loud and Yellow Laughter, and the new formats of isiXhosa writing presented in Mthunzikazi Mbugwana’s poetry. My work has also been shaped by the visceral imagery and briefly captured moments of loss in imisebenzi ka S.S Mema, Nontsizi Mgqwetho, noPascale Petit, novangile gantsho. Imisebenzi yabo ikuzobela umfanekiso ngqondweni ophilayo. Bonke abababhali bahambe indlela endinika umdla nendifuna ukuyihamba nam njengombhali omtsha obhala ngeelwimi ezimbini. , My thesis is a collection of poems and prose that explores the disjunction of losses for women and children across the two languages I inhabit, isiXhosa and English. For me, isiXhosa captures the innate musicality and deep emotions within a word or a sound that are not available to me in English. On the other hand, English readily produces visceral images that are more difficult for me to find in isiXhosa. My poems use the music and introspection of the lyric form, as well as the emotional outpouring that prose poetry allows. As a bilingual writer, I am influenced by the transference of musicality and gravity of loss conveyed in the translated and bilingual work of Isabella Motadinyane, the Russian Marina Tsvetaeva, Stephen Watson’s Song of the Broken String, as well as the Spanish poets Antonio Machado. The structure of my thesis is inspired by the innovative mixed genre layout of Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese’s Loud and Yellow Laughter, and the new formats of isiXhosa writing presented in Mthunzikazi Mbugwana’s poetry. My work has also been shaped by the visceral imagery and briefly captured moments of loss in the work of South African poets vangile gantsho, S.S. Mema, and Nontsizi Mgqwetho, as well as the English poet, Pascale Petit. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanitites, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Jungle Drive and Other Stories
- Authors: Koenig, Nathalie
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African fiction (English) 21st century , South African poetry (English) 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/192225 , vital:45207
- Description: My thesis comprises prose in a variety of forms with porous borders, including the short story, flash fiction and prose poetry. I am attracted to a processual approach to writing as I like the potential for experimentation with spontaneity and textual improvisation within and across forms that this allows. I am influenced by Joanna Ruocco’s novellas, The Mothering Coven and Dan, whose worlds are built with generously scattered references, interesting words and strange features, delivered in a dead-pan tone that joyfully scrambles my logic. At the same time, I am inspired by the precision and beauty of Tina May Hall’s prose, and how she plays in the space between the natural and magical worlds. In addition, I draw on the musicality and rhythm of Noy Holland and JA Tyler’s prose, adding a corporeal layer to the words, sounds and movement of the text. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Retrospective
- Authors: Pillay, Previn
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African poetry (English) 21st century , Identity (Philosophical concept) in literature , Grandmothers in literature , Families in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191636 , vital:45128
- Description: My thesis is a collection of poems, divided into 4 sections. The first section draws on my experiences and background as an Indian South African, presenting a portrait of a KwaZulu-Natal Indian community, infused with the lingo of the streets. It also delves into my background by sharing real stories from my childhood and youth. The second section is about my grandmother, who is an influential character on my writing and a source for many unique stories. The third section is a brief look at my recent past and the fourth section is a sharing of my life and what is most important to me. My collection is a timeline of my life and the events which have shaped me. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
Red cotton
- Authors: Gantsho, Vangile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African poetry (English) 21st century , South African poetry (English) Black authors , Lesbians, Black Poetry
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7213 , vital:21229
- Description: My collection of poetry is a deeply personal exploration of what it means to be black, queer, and woman in modern-day South Africa. I interrogate being non-conformist in both a traditional-cultural upbringing and a more liberal yet equally-oppressive urban socialisation. I question what we are taught about the body and the feminine sexual space, while also addressing the mother-daughter relationship as the first and most constant reference of womanhood. The collection moves fluidly between the erotic, the uncomfortable and grotesque, what is painful, and what is beautiful and longed-for. Working promiscuously across forms, I employ prose poetry, interspersed with lyrical interludes, in an attempt at a narrative effect similar to what Claudia Rankine achieves in Don't Let Me Be Lonely. I also draw from writers such as Calixthe Beyala (Your Name Shall Be Tanga), and Janice Lee (Damnation), as well as sex guides, women's blogs, and feminist poetry.
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- Date Issued: 2017