This past Thursday saw MJ Daymond launch her new book, Everyday Matters: Selected letters of Dora Taylor, Bessie Head & Lilian Ngoyi. Ike’s Books and Collectibles was filled with familiar faces from the UKZN English department, friends of the editor, and numerous other bibliophiles. At 17:45, 15 minutes before the launch was to begin, the lower end of Florida Road was plunged into darkness by an unexpected bout of load-shedding. This, however, did not deter either Prof. Margaret Daymond or Prof. Lindy Stiebel as they spoke through the darkness and above the distant din of an approaching storm. Stiebel introduced the editor and gave a brief talk about the importance of correspondence via letters and how the medium is in decline due to SMS, social media, and e-mail. These ephemeral digital communications, Stiebel suggests, are no less important than their hardcopy counterparts but are far less regularly saved and cherished. This phenomenon may, at some point in the future, complicate the process of compiling volumes such as Everyday Matters as the correspondences are often lost through deletion or computer crashes.
Following Stiebel’s introduction, Daymond took to reading some letters by all three of her selected writers. As Daymond’s reading progressed, it became apparent that all three women had placed particular importance on the concept of home, either as a physical space or as an ideological or emotional one. Taylor’s letters expressed sadness at the loss of her home whereas Head’s correspondences gave insight into her elation at finally owning one of her own. Ngoyi’s letters outlined her experiences of being trapped inside her home during her 18 year house arrest.
As reading by the light of cellphones proved difficult, the launch was cut somewhat short but the celebration of both Daymond and her book continued for a while afterwards by candlelight.
Everyday Matters: Selected letters of Dora Taylor, Bessie Head & Lilian Ngoyi is published by Jacana Media and is available for approximately R250.
