Alex Fan Moniz tells Naomi Meyer about his work.
Hi Alex, you consider yourself a “citizen of the world”. Please elaborate?
I feel at home in many different countries and am not afraid of finding myself alone in a completely new place. Plus I think that even though I am European and British essentially, I feel at home in South Africa, for instance. The world has become very global and I think this will be the case going forward. If home is where the heart is, then my heart has many homes!
What do you write? And what have you published?
I write mainly poetry, short stories and sometimes song lyrics. I am a published lyricist (since 2009) and have published five books so far.
What do you do for a living (that is, how do you put bread on the table)?
Professionally I have been a banker internationally for over 20 years now.
Please tell us about some of the books you have written and the languages they are written in.
I have written lyrics in a number of languages, like German, Portuguese, French, Italian and even made-up languages. My first published book, Colours of South Africa, was a combination of photography, poetry and short stories, all made in South Africa. I had the privilege of working with some amazing people; for example, Makhosazana Xaba, a South African poet whose works I truly love, wrote a few original poems inspired by my photos. The Expedition Project also contributed with photographs to cover all South African provinces and complement my short stories and some poems with imagery. Other people and official entities like PanSALB facilitated the translation from my English originals into other languages, like Zulu, Xhosa, Khoekhoe, Setswana. This book is a celebration of South Africa and the endless, vibrant, contrasting colours you can see everywhere you go. "Colours of", because the racial conflicts have polarised this country for a long time. But I believe and hope a new page has been turned and the future will be one of the inclusion of and respect for diversity of peoples, and just as importantly, nature, which is fragile and needs to be protected by generations to come.
There is a short story which was originally inspired by the “hole in the wall” legend of the Eastern Cape and became a story in its own right. "Debezezi and the Sea Prince" is set in Pondoland, has a distinct Xhosa flavour, but also imaginary, almost science-fiction aspects which are very contemporary and a message which is universal and timeless, about prejudice and how it affects human interaction and relations. I think this is just one of many intriguing popular legends from South Africa which could and should be taught to children and grown-ups so that this rich and diverse cultural heritage in the country isn't lost in the future.
My series (with two volumes out so far) "Journeys on the Underground and Beyond" came about one day when I was commuting on a jam-packed London tube carriage. I recognised an old friend I hadn't seen in 17 years. It was a moment of realisation: there I was, a man in his forties, and there he was, an old man, probably retired, but the same person, catching the tube as he used to. This is life, I thought; every minute, every action you take in your daily life counts. Since the ‘80's there has been this wonderful initiative called “Poems on the Underground”, created by the American writer Judith Chernaik, who thought poetry in general should be shared with a wider audience. London Underground is used by millions of people on a daily basis. My concept is different: it is about what I see, feel, do, and how I observe other people while commuting and sharing a confined space with strangers – mainly on the Underground, but also on other trains, buses, airplanes etc. It is a recording of factual situations and a lot of abstracts, what goes on in my mind, and what I imagine in other people's minds. And what better place to observe people from very close?
Vertel vir ons van jou Afrikaanse boek – Die Skree van Stilte. Waaroor handel dit? Is dit gedigte, of kortverhale?
Die Skree van Stilte is 'n digbundel, met enkele beelde, hoofsaaklik swart-wit. Dit is 'n samestelling van 'n paar gedigte wat voorheen gepubliseer is en oorspronklikes, geïnspireer in die Afrikaanse siel, om so te praat . Ek sien die Afrikaanse kultuur as 'n unieke verskynsel van 'n taal wat begin in een kontinent en ontwikkel in 'n entiteit uit eie reg. Dit gee ‘n stem aan die Afrikaanse kultuur en identiteit. Iemand het my vertel dat hulle beskou Afrikaners as die enigste wit stam van Suid-Afrika. Dit maak sin, omdat baie van die Afrikaanssprekendes wit is, maar hulle is nie op die hart Europeërs nie, hulle is Suid-Afrikaners of Afrikane. Plus daar is miljoene bruin, swart, Cape Malay-moedertaal-Afrikaanssprekendes. Dit is my huldeblyk aan hierdie taal en hierdie mense, anders en uniek.
Ek is getroud met 'n Bolander, en het die taal goed genoeg geleer om te kommunikeer, en het oor die jare gegroei lief vir die Kaap en sy warm, sterk, dikwels baie cheeky mense. Ek is gefassineer deur die natuurlike skoonheid van hierdie land, ek hou van die kos, die wyn, die see, die smeltkroes van volkere. Die titel van die boek is 'n verwysing na die eindelose ruimtes hier, waar jy jou longe uit kan skree en niemand sal jou hoor.
Ook omdat ek baie belangstelling van Afrikaanssprekendes oor my boeke het, het ek gedink dit sou sin maak om in Afrikaans te publiseer. Ek dink dit is ook tyd om Afrikaans in die Suid-Afrikaanse sosiokulturele konteks van vandag in te sluit. Die land het uit sy diskriminerende en stigmatisering onlangse verlede gekom en Afrikaans het aanbeweeg en dit is 'n integrale deel van dit.
Waar kan mense jou boeke koop?
Amazon.co.uk is my belangrikste verspreider. Maar byvoorbeeld Die Skree van Stilte kan ook gevind word op Loot.co.za.
Waarom skryf jy?
Sedert ek geleer het hoe om te skryf op die ouderdom van ses, ek onthou ek het natuurlik begin "noteer" stories wat ek óf met ander kinders óf deur alleen speel met my speelgoed geïmproviseer het. So ek dink 'n mens kan vra hoekom is sommige van ons wetenskaplikes, ingenieurs, musikante en so aan? Ek skryf, want ek is mal daaroor en ek het dit nodig. Selfs as niemand ooit gedink het my bladsye is die moeite werd om te lees, sou ek altyd in elk geval skryf. Dit is wie ek is.
Foto's verskaf
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