Portrait With Keys: The City Of Johannesburg Unlocked - Softcover

Vladislavic, Ivan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184627060X ISBN 13: 9781846270604

Publisher: Granta Books, 2007

Synopsis

In the wake of apartheid, the flotsam of the divided past flows over Johannesburg and settles, once the tides recede, around Ivan Vladislavic, who, patrolling his patch, surveys the changed cityscape and tries to convey for us the nature and significance of those changes. He roams over grassy mine-dumps, sifting memories, picking up the odd glittering item here and there, before everything of value gets razed or locked away behind one or other of the city's fortifications. For this is now a city of alarms, locks and security guards, a frontier place whose boundaries are perpetually contested, whose inhabitants are 'a tribe of turnkeys'. Vladislavic, this clerk of mementoes, stands still, watches and writes - and his astonishing city comes within our reach. This is for readers who want to put their faith in a writer who knows - and loves - his city from the inside out, bearing comparison with Suketu Mehta's Maximum City, Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul and Joseph Brodsky's Watermark.

About this title

Review:

This book resonates with a deep understanding of his country and city -- Good Book Guide

At his best he transcends violence for moments of mysticism...very good. -- The Times

Vladislavic writes beautifully about the city he knows inside out. -- Bookseller

'A passionate account by a man who loves his city' -- The Independent

'Surely one of the most ingenious love letters - full of violence,
fear, humour and cunning - ever addressed to a city.' -- Geoff Dyer

'Vladislavic is a rare, brilliant writer' -- Sunday Times

'Vladislavic presents a rich personal reconstruction of Jo'burg,
based on diverse perceptions of his home city' -- The Independent

'Vladislavic's acute intelligence and unfussy style make this
quite a find' -- Metro UK (5*)

An outstanding writer and an intriguing subject -- Publishing News

One of the most imaginative minds at work in South African literature today -- André Brink

Synopsis:

An insider capable of revealing his city's spirit and its reality - combines the eloquence of Morris on Trieste with the precision of Cartier-Bresson on Paris. It is suitable for those who want to put their faith in a writer who knows - and loves - his city from the inside out: Suketu Mehta's "Maximum City", Edmund White's "The Flaneur", Orhan Pamuk's "Istanbul", Joseph Brodsky's "Watermark". In the wake of Apartheid, the flotsam of the divided past flows over Johannesburg and settles, once the tides recede, around Ivan Vladislavic, who, patrolling his patch, surveys the changed cityscape and tries to convey for us the nature and significance of those changes. He roams over grassy mine-dumps, sifting memories, picking up the odd glittering item here and there, before everything of value gets razed or locked away behind one or other of the city's fortifications. For this is now a city of alarms, locks and security guards, a frontier place whose boundaries are perpetually contested, whose inhabitants are 'a tribe of turnkeys'. Vladislavic, this clerk of mementoes, stands still, watches, and writes: and his astonishing city comes within our reach.

About this edition

• Publisher: Granta Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 184627060X
• ISBN 13: 9781846270604
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208