Attending a book launch at Love Books is always a treat. The store is beautiful and the owner, Kate Rogan, and her staff are some cool human beings. If you love books you really should stop by and say hello; and if you end up buying a book (or ten) and a cup of coffee that's good too. My lovely companion, Judy, says attending book launches and comic book stores with me is bad for her wallet. What she doesn't know is that I'm looking out for the well-being of her bookshelf. I really am. I digress though.
Wednesday, 08 May 2013 saw the launch of Toni Strasberg's memoir,
Fractured Lives, published by Modjaji Books. The book documents Toni
Strasberg's life as filmmaker covering wars in southern African countries in
the '80s and '90s. The book offers a female perspective on the senseless nature
of war, which is often seen as 'the province of men'. Toni focuses especially
on the effects of war on women and children. From what I saw of her on the
night of the launch Toni is a very formidable woman. Her demeanour is that of
someone who will not take nonsense and is not to be trifled with. I imagine
that these are some of the character traits that allowed her to be a woman in
charge of a film crew covering some of humanity's most inhumane actions at the
time. Fractured Lives is a documentary of Toni as a woman and as a human being
who has witnessed war in its many terrible forms and even in its exhilarating
forms. The book provides social commentary on war in general and our
fascination with it. Toni admits to not being a writer in the traditional sense
of the notion as she is primarily a filmmaker and sees the world more visually
than in terms of words. Fractured Lives is her written account of all she has
seen and lived through.
Toni Strasberg was born in South Africa and went into exile in Britain in 1965, following the Rivonia Trial. She studied in Britain where she eventually became a filmmaker. Toni's responsible for award-winning films like Chain of Tears, Chain of Hope and A South African Love Story. In addition to making films and dabbling in writing Toni has served as an International Peace Monitor and Election Observer for the United Nations. She was also involved in NGO work for UNESCO and other similar bodies. At the launch she pointed out that she's old now and that, of course, she's done some things in her life.
Toni Strasberg was born in South Africa and went into exile in Britain in 1965, following the Rivonia Trial. She studied in Britain where she eventually became a filmmaker. Toni's responsible for award-winning films like Chain of Tears, Chain of Hope and A South African Love Story. In addition to making films and dabbling in writing Toni has served as an International Peace Monitor and Election Observer for the United Nations. She was also involved in NGO work for UNESCO and other similar bodies. At the launch she pointed out that she's old now and that, of course, she's done some things in her life.
War is hell as is always said but as humans we are ever drawn to it.
Pick up a copy of Toni Strasberg's Fractured Lives and Hamilton Wende's Only the Dead on sale at Love Books.
Pick up a copy of Toni Strasberg's Fractured Lives and Hamilton Wende's Only the Dead on sale at Love Books.
As per usual, thanks to Joostenberg for providing the wine to fuel an amazing literary evening.
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