DREAMS & DUST, short-lived republics of South Africa, past, present and imagined

626pp., b/w & colour illus., maps, paperback, Hermanus, 2023

Introduction to 58 Boer, Griqua and multinational polities created since 1785, as well as 20 fictional ones, such as satirist Pieter Dirk-Uys' Bapetikosweti and artist Walter Battiss' Fook Island.

"I can't think of anything remotely comparable to this in South African historico-literary works - in subject conception and in its approach to subject matter. It really is a unique volume, fresh and strikingly idiosyncratic in its handling of subject matter. This is imaginative historical writing with a light and lively touch, while not dodging topics that are emotive and powerful." Bill Nasson, Emeritus Professor, Stellenbosch University and University of Cape Town

Alex Stone lives on Waiheke Island, New Zealand, His books include the novel Taken and In the Wind, a collection of his weekly columns for Gulf News.