Literary Birthday – 10 June – Niq Mhlongo

Happy Birthday, Niq Mhlongo, born 10 June 1973.

Five Quotes

1. Fiction creates an alternative world for people so that they can cope with the challenges of yesterday, today, and the future. It helps people deal with the realities of today and gives them a sense of hope and solutions.
2. Never argue with a fool, people might not notice the difference.
3. I must make it clear that it was definitely not JM Coetzee or Nadine Gordimer who inspired me. It is also not only writers who have inspired me. I was inspired by life in general. I was inspired by the taxi drivers, street hawkers, my friends all over the world, my family, my relationship with people in general, my dreams, observations and my perceptions in life.
4. I write by hand and then transcribe it to the computer in most cases.
5. [My ideal reader is] a boeremeisie in the Republic of Orania, an immigrant shoemaker on the streets of Diepsloot and Soweto, a goat-herder in Nkandla, a tenderpreneur in the Republic of Cape Town and all literature lovers around the world.

Niq Mhlongo is a South African journalist and novelist. His works include Affluenza, Dog Eat Dog, Way Back Home, and Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree. Follow him on Twitter: @NiqMhlongo

Photo via the author: Credit Alet Pretorius

by Amanda Patterson

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