2021 Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature shortlist: an interview with Jayne Bauling

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Jayne Bauling (photo: provided)

Jayne Bauling talks to Naomi Meyer about Looking for Letsie, which is shortlisted for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature 2021.

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My protagonist, Mikea, has a strong sense of right and wrong, and likes to imagine other people’s lives, but he must learn to understand and accept the compromises they make just to survive.

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Congratulations on your shortlist nomination for the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature 2021. Please tell me how your story was born: where did you get the idea for this story, and tell me about your characters?

My story was born out of my fascination with Johannesburg, where I lived most of my life before moving to White River. Street scenes, especially those I’ve witnessed on visits back there in recent years, were a powerful prompt for the idea of writing about young people on the streets. My protagonist, Mikea, has a strong sense of right and wrong, and likes to imagine other people’s lives, but he must learn to understand and accept the compromises they make just to survive.

For which age group did you intend your story? Why did you specifically write a book for people of this age group? Which part of writing this story for these people did you enjoy most?

I wrote Looking for Letsie for readers aged 14 and up, although I know many much younger readers are already reading adult fiction. It’s rewarding and challenging to write for readers who are no longer children but who feel things intensely. Due to the nature of my plot, I especially enjoyed being able to create a whole ensemble of different characters for this story, instead of just two or three.

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It’s rewarding and challenging to write for readers who are no longer children but who feel things intensely.

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For the authors on the English shortlist: there is plenty of young adult fiction written in English. What distinguishes a South African English language book from the rest?

I think South African authors writing YA in English are acutely aware of this, and while we try to create stories with universal appeal, South Africa is unique, and so are our stories.

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I think South African authors writing YA in English are acutely aware of this, and while we try to create stories with universal appeal, South Africa is unique, and so are our stories.

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How did the pandemic influence your writing and themes of writing, if at all?

The pandemic slowed down my writing, due to anxiety and wondering what the future held. There were days when I couldn’t write, and yet the good writing days between those were an escape and gave me a great emotional boost.

How did COVID-19 influence your own life personally?

Self-quarantining due to exposure early on, and the hard lockdown, led me to re-evaluate many areas of my life, and to return to emotionally fulfilling activities that I had begun to neglect in recent years.

Also read:

2021 Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature shortlist: an interview with Francis Tebesi

Sanlamprys vir jeuglektuur-kortlys 2021: ’n onderhoud met Betsie van Niekerk

2021 Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature shortlist: an interview with Musa Baloyi

2021 Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature shortlist: an interview with Jaco Fouché

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