Short stories by Mervyn Woodrow These short stories range widely and tell it as it is. They have an inherent integrity. The narratives touch the soul. As in life, humour and pathos jostle for the reader’s attention, at once engaging and repelling, imprinting the narrative storyline and keenly etched characters onto the mind. Some of the stories have been broadcast by the SABC. The title story, ‘Drinkers of the wind’, encapsulated also in the cover design, was one of the stories broadcast on the English service in the good old days when short stories and radio plays were a regular feature on SABC. Without exception, the […]

A novel by Mervyn Woodrow This novel is set mainly behind the Zoutpansberg in the harsh Limpopo Valley. It traces the life of the young protagonist, Jody, and much of the action is seen through his eyes. He comes to grapple with the grim reality of the world around him, with cruelty, violence and loss but also with kindness and love, in his search for value and meaning. The shifting sands of time mostly settle during World War II when men were fighting “Up North”, the National Party was not yet in power and Waterpoort was a less-than-thriving cattle farming hamlet, home to both English and Afrikaans, […]

Verse and Songs for Grandchildren of all ages by Mervyn Woodrow A really charming collection of original verse and song, this anthology is tastefully illustrated. The material ranges from verse for little ones and progresses to material more suited to older grandchildren. It endeavours to cultivate the imagination which is critical in a child’s development: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” (Albert Einstein) It is not overburdened with large colourful pictures but has thousands of images created by words.