LESELI MOKHELE: The Bard of Lesotho

“When I was a young man – in any event much younger than I am now- I got to love the genre of literary criticism. Naively, in the beginning I thought that the critics were being unfair, undermining or bringing hardworking authors down, but I know much better now. Most critics are actually paying homage to a particular writer, highlighting their work when he/she focuses on the same. I applaud when I see any study, book-length or major essay on any African writer. The author here (Ntate Mokhele) deserves major essays on his work, on even this major book of his. It is one of my dreams that one day I will write at least a small book/study on Mokhele’s literary corpus. He is an illustrious son of Lesotho, as far as creative writing is concerned, starting from a young age. Mokhele’s vivid, trenchant imagination, his startling command of language, his eye for detail and drama, his convincing characterization and conversations, plus his impressive thematic range and breadth – all stamp him out as a literary gem.” – R Mokoena

“The underworld, the sleazy, different types of women; desperate men – these are some of the themes in (Mokhele’s) short stories… Then there is also the violence. A lot of this seems to go too far and a streak of sadism might well run through his work. The sweetness and dangers that go with women are well highlighted, including heartbreak and Aids. The stories are more in the line of the hard school of overseas thrillers. But the beauty is that the background is very much the black world of the locations, and the like. That Mokhele is well read can be seen from his references to literature and literary giants in his fiction…” K. A Motheane

MOKHELE'S WORKS 

Homegrown Short Stories
The Charismatic Charlatan
Tholoana tsa tsebo  (radio drama)
(Also, numerous short stories published in other publications)