Klimtol by Etienne van Heerden
Klimtol (Eerste Uitgawe Afrikaans Novel by Etienne van Heerden)
A Weskus Novel of a Retired Yo-Yo Champion and the Past That Catches Up with Him, by a Leading Afrikaans Novelist
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Klimtol: 'n Roman
- Author: Etienne van Heerden
- Publisher: Tafelberg, Kaapstad
- Publication Date: 2013
- ISBN-13: 9780624057796
- Edition Details: Eerste uitgawe (First Edition), Tafelberg, 2013. Standard softcover release.
- Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers, perfect bound, with an orange spine.
- Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback) format.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Wraps: The illustrated wrappers are clean and bright, with no tears or creases to the front cover, back cover or spine. The orange spine is uncracked and shows no obvious fading. The corners are sound. The fore-edge and bottom edge show slight toning of the page block, and the wrappers are very slightly bowed.
- Interior: The text block is tight and the pages are an even cream tone. The title and copyright pages are clean, and the pages examined are free of marks, foxing or other blemishes.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Klimtol ('n Roman), published by Tafelberg in 2013, is a novel by Etienne van Heerden. It follows Ludo Loeloeraai, a retired yo-yo champion who lives in the West Coast town of Paternoster. A past he has tried to leave behind catches up with him, and the plot includes a murder.
In the 1960s and 1970s Ludo toured South Africa performing his tricks for Coca-Cola's marketing. Against the backdrop of a small coastal community, the novel explores family, identity and race. The character grew out of Van Heerden's short story 'Gifkaroo'.
It was the author's first novel since 30 Nights in Amsterdam (2008) and was later translated into Dutch (Podium, Amsterdam, 2014). This is a clean first edition of a significant contemporary Afrikaans novel, suited to collectors of modern Afrikaans literature.
Author Profile: Etienne van Heerden
Etienne van Heerden was born in Johannesburg in 1954 and is one of the most decorated Afrikaans novelists of his generation. His debut novel, Toorberg (1986), was widely awarded, and he has won more South African literary awards than most of his contemporaries.
His other notable novels include The Long Silence of Mario Salviati (2000), In Love's Place (2005) and 30 Nights in Amsterdam (2008). He teaches at the University of Cape Town.
Klimtol Etienne van Heerden · Etienne van Heerden first edition · Afrikaans novel Tafelberg 2013 · Etienne van Heerden Afrikaans literature · Weskus Afrikaans novel · Klimtol eerste uitgawe
