“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)
