|
Pelong ya Ka, a collection of essays and sketches in Sotho, was first published in 1962 in the Bantu Treasury Series imprint of Witwatersrand University Press. Sophonia Machabe Mofokeng is regarded as one of the greatest essayists and dramatists in Southern Sotho. His first book, Senkatana (a play) was published in 1952.Pelong ya Ka comprises twenty essays which range from meditative, descriptive, and narrative to polemic style, with the tone of voice characterised by melancholy, humour, and satire. The essays span over a wide range of themes, as suggested by their titles, e.g. Pelo ('The heart'), Bodutu ('Solitude'), Death ('Lefu'), Nako ('Time'), Pampiri ('Paper'), Ho kganna mmotokara ('Driving an automobile'), Sepetlele ('Hospital'), Lenyalo ('Matromony'), and Boqhek ('Old age'). Nhlanhla Maake says of this collection: 'Mofokeng's essays fuse simplicity with depth'. Pelong ya Ka is now part of the African Treasury Series published by Wits University Press.
|
