Literary award for our news editor

Carol Campbell

Carol Campbell

Published Nov 13, 2015

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Daily News news editor, Carol Campbell, has been awarded a South African Literary Award for her novel on the donkey cart people of the Great Karoo, My Children Have Faces.

The award, for a debut novel, was made at the weekend. A week earlier, Campbell was awarded the Minara Aziz Hassim trophy by the Minara Chamber of Commerce in Durban for her second book, Esther’s House, on the plight of the homeless in Oudtshoorn. The awards come with cash prizes.

“These are stories of marginalised people and I am happy that, through fiction, I was able to build greater understanding and empathy of those who are not often heard,” she said.

The books were translated into Afrikaans as Karretjiemense and ’n Huis vir Ester by respected translator and writer, Kirby van der Merwe.

Film-maker, Koos Roets, and actor and director, André Stolz, had the Afrikaans film rights for both with filming scheduled to begin in June next year using Karoo locals as the cast.

Campbell met Roets at the weekend and she said he told her he wanted snow on the Swartberg when he filmed ’n Huis vir Ester – this was because the dramatic cold, but incredible beauty of the area played an important part in the story.

“Koos and Andre love the books and are working together on the films. It’s an amazing feeling having two of South Africa’s greatest creative talents develop my stories into film,” she said.

Campbell’s books are published by Umuzi, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Publisher Fourie Botha said the novels had touched a deep chord with South African readers and had surpassed all expectations with sales.

“We are delighted that these books are getting the credit they deserve.

“We saw something special in both of them and so have readers.”

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