This Day and Age Book

In his internationally acclaimed debut, The Powers That Be, Mike Nicol mythologized the history of his homeland. "Magic realism," wrote the London Times, "has come to South Africa." And in This Day and Age - a novel of extraordinary intensity lyricism and levity - he tells the story of Enoch Mistas, a black youth with a Bible chained to his wrist and strange voices in his head, who leads a messianic rebellion against an imperious, bewildered government. The story begins with an oracle. Before his inauguration, the new president seeks the advice of Maria, a fortune-teller who sees long years of national harmony and the rule of law - but then plague and famine will sweep the land, and in time a prophet will spread revolt among the populace. Asked where this man can be found, she replies, "He is not yet born." Many years later, Maria cleans the mission church in a small farming village on the veld; she still has her visionary, healing powers. But when drought and plague fall upon them, the people await their savior, as foretold in village myth, and thus Enoch Mistas is born. He begins hearing the voices at age eleven; faint lights glow above his head. His power grows strong, twisted; and he leads an attack on the church. Accusing Maria of witchcraft, he has her burned at the stake. And so begins his career as Redeemer. For years, Mistas and his growing band of followers wander the desert, gathering the poor and disenfranchised for a march to the promised land. And only when his following swells to apocalyptic size - the mere rumor of their existence inciting unrest throughout the nation - does the government move against them. What happens next cannot be precisely known. Some say Mistas has magically escaped the slaughter. Some even claim to have seen Maria, years later, telling fortunes at a local fair. Time has closed over events now clouded by official lies, journalistic speculation and folklore. With biting humor and visionary clarity, This Day and Age explore

Publishers Weekly

Justice prevails with biblical inevitability in this dazzling, variously textured political fiction from South African Nicol ( The Powers That Be ; A Good-Looking Corpse ). Or does it? The novel's two story lines send signals like satellite beams between themselves and to the reader: one involves characters, setting, plot, and typical narrative inventions of all fiction; the other is an inquiry into the nature of storytelling itself, whatever form it takes, and how various versions of happenings reflect, distort and shape the ``truth.'' The main character is charismatic Enoch Mistas, a black religious visionary from the plague-afflicted, poverty-stricken veld, who is alternately larger than life among his growing flock of believers and conspicuous in his absence, impossible for hostile authorities to capture or kill. The narrative consists of layered tales, appearing as fortunes told by seers, letters to the editor of the premier national newspaper, children's rhymes, diary entries, military dispatches, love songs, and more. Recurring portents so obvious to the uneducated are invisible to sophisticates and never figure in official accounts: ``. . . often history records only what it wants to, never mentions the cries of peacocks or the resonance of butterfly wings.'' From the president (whose ``bum-boils''--another sign of upcoming disaster?--are manifested early in this novel) to Ma-Fatsoen and Fat Eddie (villager parents of Enoch Mistas), the characters here are memorable as individuals and as supporting players in the ever-developing apocalyptic saga of the Mistas cult. This beautifully crafted, timely and disturbing fable offers much wisdom to thoughtful readers and/or governments concerned with peace and a better future. Nicol reveals the ultimate ``truth'' of ``what happened or what may have happened or what people heard happened'': ``Afterwards is where the story begins.'' (Nov.)