IN THE SHADOW OF THE SPRINGS I SAW

171pp., illus., paperback, Cape Town, 2022

A novel that imagines the lives of those who live in the Art Deco buildings in Springs.

 “The dying mining town of Springs, one might be compelled to say if you do not take heed and scrutinise more closely the upheaval that is taking shape there. The traditional conservative Springs community has lapsed and a new and integrated communal existence is evolving comprising of people from all over the African continent. Now, the architecture remains the only nostalgic connection to the past. Such bold Art Deco buildings that were ahead of their time still retain their regalness, although they are in a vulnerable condition. This book is a magnificent showcase of what was, and what is becoming, of the historical journey that Springs is taking. The images captured in the book do not attempt to trace historical events per se but give one an overall sense of the stark arty architecture that continues to thrive amidst what seems to be chaos or the un-led communal revolution of the town itself.” Colbert Mashile

“The writing tries to capture the ‘grain’ of a place, object or conversation, as if a swatch were cut from a larger fabric. One could trace the use of similar techniques back to the canonical modernist works of James Joyce, William Faulkner, John Dos Passos, William Carlos Williams or to a later experimenter like Burroughs … Adair uses these techniques with flair and purpose … the book’s method is to declare and contradict, to present one side and then another, keeping both present.” Ivan Vladislavic

Barbara Adair the author of the novels In Tangier we Killed the Blue Parrot and End. She is currently working with the Wits Writing Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand.