The Book Lounge was host to the launch of To the Volcano in Cape Town last month, where Elleke was in conversation with Barbara Boswell of the Department of English at UCT.
"Delicious, delectable, enchanting, well-crafted, fascinating…" only a few of the adjectives Barbara Boswell used to describe #ToTheVolcano by @ellekeboehmer last night at the @book_lounge launch of the book. pic.twitter.com/coojggWroJ
— Dr Karina M. Szczurek (@KarinaMSzczurek) February 26, 2020
Southern light – anyone who has experienced it recognises instantly – the blazing, concentrated, white-blue light of the southern hemisphere. It bakes the short stories in To the Volcano, which are set in Argentina, South Australia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This light is in many ways their ultimate source.
In my youth, Durban-born, I always took this light for granted, that is, until suddenly I didn’t have it any more. I had moved to a place 51 degrees north and never thought how much I’d miss it. I’ve spent my time since working my way back to it.
Anjali Joseph wrote an excellent review of To the Volcano for the TLS in February. A highlight:
In their best, often their most surreal moments, Elleke Boehmer’s stories are memorably lifelike.
The Stellenbosch launch of To the Volcano and Other Stories will take place at the Protea Boekwinkel on 4 March 2020.
Elleke will be in conversation with Dr Wamuwi Mbao.
Please RSVP to akruger@proteaboekwinkel.com.
The Cape Town launch of To the Volcano and Other Stories will take place at the Book Lounge on 25 February 2020.
Elleke will be in conversation with Dr Barbara Boswell.
Please RSVP to booklounge@gmail.com.
On 13 March, Elleke will be participating in Blown Away by Books 2020, the festival organised by the Friends of Fish Hoek Library.
Wordsworth Books from Longbeach Mall will be selling books.
Gerri Kimber has written a wonderful new review of To the Volcano in the Los Angeles Review of Books.
An excerpt:
Read the full reviewBoehmer’s book is a gift of discovery for us all, whether we come from the South or the North, a reminder of the transformative power of acceptance
Elleke’s short stories will be featured in the 14 January 2020 edition of Blackwell’s Short Stories Aloud – The most fun you can have in a bookshop on a Tuesday night.
Listen to actors read short stories read by our guest authors. This month we are joined by Julie Mayhew, author of ‘Impossible Causes’, and Elleke Boehmer, ‘To The Volcano and Other Stories’ . After hearing short stories (and eating some cake) there will be questions from Sarah Franklin, author of ‘Shelter’, and the audience.
Doors open at 6.45pm.
To the Volcano has been reviewed by Susan Osborne in her blog A Life in Books. An excerpt:
These are insightful, intelligent stories full of characters pursuing their dreams but often meeting with disappointment, unable to make a decisive move, pulled back by a longing for home or an inability to escape their past and often left lonely as a result. An enjoyable collection, written with a quietly perceptive insight.
Eithne Farry has written a review of To the Volcano for the Daily Mail, calling the stories ‘beautifully crafted’.