Reviews for Mathematical problems of control theory

The average rating for Mathematical problems of control theory based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-08-04 00:00:00 Darryl Sherman Change of Tongue has a 19th century ichthyological illustration of a ‘flat fish’ on the cover. Why? I recall that the Afrikaans word for sole is ‘tongvis’, so surmise there must be a connection. Antjie Krog is a skilled Afrikaans poet (though she writes her prose in English), and her choices of words and images frequently surprise and enchant. Deep into the book I learn that a sole starts life as a ‘normal’ symmetrical fish, but undergoes an amazing transformation, one eye migrating across the axis of symmetry and the entire anatomy adapting to life on the ocean floor. This becomes a metaphor for the transformation that white South Africans must undergo if we are to thrive in a post-apartheid world. Krog weaves the threads of multiple stories into a coherent tapestry: a farm child living on the banks of the Valsch River on the outskirts of the Free State town of Kroonstad, a sensitive teenager becoming aware of the injustices of apartheid while finding her voice as a poet, as a teacher in a township school, a journalist covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a member of a poetic caravan travelling from Dakar to Timbuctou, and a translator struggling to find the right words to translate Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. What word do you use to translate ‘African’ when ‘Afrikaner’ has already been appropriated? I am just a few years younger than Krog (she was born in 1952) and have experienced much the same history. I was enthralled by her stories and insights, which triggered many memories and provoked me to reflect on my attitudes and actions. In many ways it is a prophetic book. Published in 2003, prior to the blossoming of State capture and the lost Zuma years, we see the realisation of many of Krog’s hopes and fears.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-03-30 00:00:00 Dror Birnbaum Antjie Krog never lets me down. The fact that this is my least favourite from her trilogy and I'm still giving it five stars says something.