Transvaal Episode ~ Harry Bloom

Transvaal Episode ~ Harry Bloom

Medium soft cover
Good condition
320 pages

A powerful novel set in the town of Nelstrom in the Transvaal region of South Africa. The story revolves around the complex relationships between the African residents of the town's "Location" and their white neighbors. The arrival of a new man, Walter Mabaso, in the Location stirs up new tensions and emotions1. The location superintendent, Hendrik Du Toit, is a serious and hardworking man who tries to please both his employers and the Location people. However, his well-intentioned actions inadvertently turn him into a tyrant.

The novel explores the impact of apartheid on the lives of the characters and the town as a whole. It is a brutal tale told without brutality, judging without censoriousness. The story is rich in power and promise, blending style and subject, imagination and background.

Harry Bloom's first novel is considered a classic of modern literature and has been praised for its power, passion, and controlled savagery. It remains one of the most relevant and best-written books about the anti-apartheid situation in South Africa during the 1950s.