Johan Beyers, family man, grandfather and a children's toy-maker who permanently resides in eastern Namibia, hardly fits the mould of the typical fantasy fiction author. This is after all, the genre of J. R. R. Tolkien, Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchett, Stephen King and most recently, J. K. Rowling, to name but a few. Born in South Africa in 1953, Beyers qualified as a meteorological technician at Pretoria Technicon, and moved with his wife to Namibia in 1977 where they have quietly lived ever since, until a few years ago.
His debut novel, The Kupferberg Mining Company, published by Wordweaver Publishing House in 2013, is something out of the ordinary, and read in countries as far away from Namibia as Finland. The German noun adjunct 'kupferberg' literally translates into 'copper mountain'. The novel is classified by us as fantasy fiction, a genre which allows for the existence of imaginary worlds where surreal, supernatural, paranormal and magic events, even magical creatures, are often found - the playground, so to speak, of magic realism, horror fiction and science fiction.
In her review of The Kupferberg Mining Company for The Namibian newspaper, Yvonne Amukwaya, categorised Johan Beyers' novel as a form of Namibian utopian fiction and sub-categorised it further as 'ecotopian' fiction, elements of which Beyers' debut novel certainly possess. The fictional inhabitants of the secret utopia for example highly value the preservation of wildlife and the natural environment.
We wanted to find out a little more about Johan Beyers, the author, and dispatched a few questions to him via e-mail which he graciously answered, and provided us with valuable information as well about what he is currently working on and what we, the public, can soon expect to read from his pen.
BB: Where were you born, and raised and under which circumstances?
JB: I was born in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, South Africa, on a record cold morning.
BB: What were you like at school and what are you qualified to do?
JB: At school I was quiet...non-descriptive. I'm a qualified meteorological technician.
BB: Were you good at English, or languages and creative writing?
JB: No.
BB: When did you write for the first time and what did you write about?
JB: My first piece of writing was a short poem about drought; it was during the late seventies and I was working in Keetmanshoop, at the time.
BB: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
JB: I want to publish at least one more novel.
BB: Which writers inspire you?
JB: Robert Ludlum, Roald Dahl and similar writers.
BB: The Kupferberg Mining Company aside, what else have you written?
JB: A short story collection in Afrikaans (still to be edited and published).
BB: What are you working on right now?
JB: I'm currently working on a new novel, “The Kaiser’s Gold”.
BB: Can you give us an indication what it is about?
JB: Without letting too much of the cat out of the bag it's about the discovery in Namibia of a cache of gold left behind by German colonialists.
BB: Why have you chosen this genre?
JB: I like history and love to write around historical events.
BB: How much research do you do in general?
JB: I do quite a lot of research because I like having all my facts in order.
BB: Describe your creative process? When does the need to write arise and how often does it happen?
JB: It just happens and then I am able to write for days on end. The problem is that the urge to write dries up just as quickly.
BB: Do you write part-time or full-time? If part-time, what else do you do?
JB: Part time. I also make furniture and toys from wood.
BB: Where do your ideas come from?
JB: From personal experiences, people I’ve met and from books I’ve read.
BB: What is the hardest thing about writing?
JB: Discipline.
BB: Do you ever get writer's block? How do you get out of it or, does it pass?
JB: Quite often. To get myself into gear again, I have to get away for a while.
BB: And finally, why do you write?
JB: It’s a question of sharing an experience with others.
The Kupferberg Mining Company by Namibian author, Johan Beyers, can be ordered and bought from Book Buddy Namibia for N$ 275.00 (excluding courier and postage fees).
Anya Links for Book Buddy Namibia
Orders: bookbuddynamibia@gmail.com
Tel: +264 81 739 2998
Facebook: Book Buddy Namibia
163 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Eros, Windhoek, Namibia
His debut novel, The Kupferberg Mining Company, published by Wordweaver Publishing House in 2013, is something out of the ordinary, and read in countries as far away from Namibia as Finland. The German noun adjunct 'kupferberg' literally translates into 'copper mountain'. The novel is classified by us as fantasy fiction, a genre which allows for the existence of imaginary worlds where surreal, supernatural, paranormal and magic events, even magical creatures, are often found - the playground, so to speak, of magic realism, horror fiction and science fiction.
Image: Johan Beyers, Facebook profile (with permission)
In the novel, the protagonist, Rudolf de Wet, a technician, a little tired of a routinised and rather lonely existence perhaps, takes a lesser known route to an outpost in rural Namibia to repair damaged radio equipment, and along the way stumbles headlong into an action adventure involving a dispute between the government and a secret, imaginary kingdom called the Duchy of Kupferberg. In the kingdom, hidden away from the rest of the world by the high walls of a meteorite's crater, a proverbial utopia snuggling in the arid desert region of coastal Namibia, and surrounded by mystery and intrigue, Rudolf experiences love, romance and finally the bitterness of betrayal. In her review of The Kupferberg Mining Company for The Namibian newspaper, Yvonne Amukwaya, categorised Johan Beyers' novel as a form of Namibian utopian fiction and sub-categorised it further as 'ecotopian' fiction, elements of which Beyers' debut novel certainly possess. The fictional inhabitants of the secret utopia for example highly value the preservation of wildlife and the natural environment.
We wanted to find out a little more about Johan Beyers, the author, and dispatched a few questions to him via e-mail which he graciously answered, and provided us with valuable information as well about what he is currently working on and what we, the public, can soon expect to read from his pen.
BB: Where were you born, and raised and under which circumstances?
JB: I was born in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, South Africa, on a record cold morning.
BB: What were you like at school and what are you qualified to do?
JB: At school I was quiet...non-descriptive. I'm a qualified meteorological technician.
BB: Were you good at English, or languages and creative writing?
JB: No.
BB: When did you write for the first time and what did you write about?
JB: My first piece of writing was a short poem about drought; it was during the late seventies and I was working in Keetmanshoop, at the time.
BB: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
JB: I want to publish at least one more novel.
BB: Which writers inspire you?
JB: Robert Ludlum, Roald Dahl and similar writers.
BB: The Kupferberg Mining Company aside, what else have you written?
JB: A short story collection in Afrikaans (still to be edited and published).
BB: What are you working on right now?
JB: I'm currently working on a new novel, “The Kaiser’s Gold”.
BB: Can you give us an indication what it is about?
JB: Without letting too much of the cat out of the bag it's about the discovery in Namibia of a cache of gold left behind by German colonialists.
BB: Why have you chosen this genre?
JB: I like history and love to write around historical events.
BB: How much research do you do in general?
JB: I do quite a lot of research because I like having all my facts in order.
BB: Describe your creative process? When does the need to write arise and how often does it happen?
JB: It just happens and then I am able to write for days on end. The problem is that the urge to write dries up just as quickly.
BB: Do you write part-time or full-time? If part-time, what else do you do?
JB: Part time. I also make furniture and toys from wood.
BB: Where do your ideas come from?
JB: From personal experiences, people I’ve met and from books I’ve read.
BB: What is the hardest thing about writing?
JB: Discipline.
BB: Do you ever get writer's block? How do you get out of it or, does it pass?
JB: Quite often. To get myself into gear again, I have to get away for a while.
BB: And finally, why do you write?
JB: It’s a question of sharing an experience with others.
The Kupferberg Mining Company by Namibian author, Johan Beyers, can be ordered and bought from Book Buddy Namibia for N$ 275.00 (excluding courier and postage fees).
Anya Links for Book Buddy Namibia
Orders: bookbuddynamibia@gmail.com
Tel: +264 81 739 2998
Facebook: Book Buddy Namibia
163 Nelson Mandela Avenue, Eros, Windhoek, Namibia
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