“The greatest Afrikaner poet of this generation. . . . No one elevated the Boer language to such pure beauty and wielded it so devastatingly against the apartheid regime.”—The New Yorker


“In this inspiring, insightful, and heart-warming meditation, Breyten Breytenbach has given us a masterpiece — a term I use with all due caution. . . . As unpretentious as a comfortable old shirt, this is a book to be read and reread, to be cherished by anyone who values the enlightenment found in great poetry of all kinds.”—Sam Hamill


This eclectic and generous work full of wisdom and wit is addressed to a young writer. Breyten Breytenbach’s candid and provocative reflections on reading and writing guide without guiding, open mental channels, surprise, and inspire. A stirring glimpse into the mind of an artist.


An outspoken human rights activist, Breyten Breytenbach is a poet, novelist, playwright, memoirist, and painter. He received the Alan Paton Prize in 1994 and the prestigious Hertzog Prize for his collection of poetry Windcatcher in 2008.