,
,
, Praise for Nthikeng Mohlele’s The Scent of Bliss
‘Debut of elusive, skewed beauty.’
– CHRIS DUNTON, SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
‘A poetic, vividly imagined, nuanced text, a rare butterfly in modern African
literature.’
– LIZZY ATTREE, WORDSETC
‘An outstanding poetic piece of work … Mohlele’s voice is novel and shows
a concern … for beautiful language for its own sake.’
– PERCY ZVOMUYA, MAIL & GUARDIAN
‘An assured debut by a writer who wields his pen with flair and
confidence.’
– ARJA SALAFRANCO, THE STAR TONIGHT
,Small Things
Nthikeng Mohlele
,First published in 2013 by University of KwaZulu-Natal Press
This edition published by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd in 2018
10 Orange Street
Sunnyside
Auckland Park 2092
South Africa
+2711 628 3200
www.jacana.co.za
© Nthikeng Mohlele, 2013
Author photograph © Oupa Nkosi
All rights reserved.
d-PDF ISBN 978-1-4314-2760-4
ePUB ISBN 978-1-4314-2761-1
mobi file ISBN 978-1-4314-2762-8
Cover design by publicide
Job no. 003237
, For
My teacher, LB Mashiane at
St Bede’s High School – Mpedi!
My son, Lehlogonolo Mohlele
– Moupo Mokganyammele …
My friend, Malose Lekganyane
– Kgomo Mohwaduba.
, ‘I am the organiser of the universe and very bossy.
From my right hand issue planets.
From my left hand issue stars.
I have to see that everything stays in order and the planets do not collide
with the stars.
When something threatens order and peace then I get mad as hell.
But an organiser is not a dictator.
An organiser takes care of everything.’
– BESSIE HEAD, IN THUNDER BEHIND HER EARS,
GILLIAN STEAD EILERSEN
‘For all our conceits about being the centre of the universe, we live in a
routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner … on an
unexceptional galaxy, which is one of about 100 billion galaxies … That is
the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to
understand that.’
– CARL SAGAN
, Contents
Life
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Nausea
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Echoes
Chapter 15
,
, Praise for Nthikeng Mohlele’s The Scent of Bliss
‘Debut of elusive, skewed beauty.’
– CHRIS DUNTON, SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
‘A poetic, vividly imagined, nuanced text, a rare butterfly in modern African
literature.’
– LIZZY ATTREE, WORDSETC
‘An outstanding poetic piece of work … Mohlele’s voice is novel and shows
a concern … for beautiful language for its own sake.’
– PERCY ZVOMUYA, MAIL & GUARDIAN
‘An assured debut by a writer who wields his pen with flair and
confidence.’
– ARJA SALAFRANCO, THE STAR TONIGHT
,Small Things
Nthikeng Mohlele
,First published in 2013 by University of KwaZulu-Natal Press
This edition published by Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd in 2018
10 Orange Street
Sunnyside
Auckland Park 2092
South Africa
+2711 628 3200
www.jacana.co.za
© Nthikeng Mohlele, 2013
Author photograph © Oupa Nkosi
All rights reserved.
d-PDF ISBN 978-1-4314-2760-4
ePUB ISBN 978-1-4314-2761-1
mobi file ISBN 978-1-4314-2762-8
Cover design by publicide
Job no. 003237
, For
My teacher, LB Mashiane at
St Bede’s High School – Mpedi!
My son, Lehlogonolo Mohlele
– Moupo Mokganyammele …
My friend, Malose Lekganyane
– Kgomo Mohwaduba.
, ‘I am the organiser of the universe and very bossy.
From my right hand issue planets.
From my left hand issue stars.
I have to see that everything stays in order and the planets do not collide
with the stars.
When something threatens order and peace then I get mad as hell.
But an organiser is not a dictator.
An organiser takes care of everything.’
– BESSIE HEAD, IN THUNDER BEHIND HER EARS,
GILLIAN STEAD EILERSEN
‘For all our conceits about being the centre of the universe, we live in a
routine planet of a humdrum star stuck away in an obscure corner … on an
unexceptional galaxy, which is one of about 100 billion galaxies … That is
the fundamental fact of the universe we inhabit, and it is very good for us to
understand that.’
– CARL SAGAN
, Contents
Life
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Nausea
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Echoes
Chapter 15
