Henrietta Rose-Innes celebrated the publication of her short story collection HOMING, with a well-attended launch at Cape Town's Book Lounge. At the launch Rose-Innes read from her work and was later joined by Diane Awerbuck, author of GARDENING BY NIGHT, for a discussion of the collection and the differences between short stories and novels.

Later in the week Rose-Innes appeared alongside Chilean author and human rights activist Ariel Dorfman and fellow South African authors Niq Mhlongo, Kevin Bloom and Thando Mgqolozana for a discussion on national reconciliation moderated by Victor Dlamini and hosted by the former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Njabulo Ndelebe, on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Each of the panellists debated the idea of reconciliation, how it has affected them and their writing, and the legacy of apartheid, in front of an audience of over 120 people that included Imraan Coovadia, Damon Galgut and Mamphela Ramphele. The event was one of a series featuring Ariel Dorfman ahead of his Nelson Mandela Lecture on July 31.

HOMING is the first of two books by Henrietta Rose-Innes to be published by Random House SA's Umuzi imprint, and features the Caine Prize winning story POISON which was praised by the Guardian as 'a compellingly enigmatic story' and 'an eloquent vignette of the "new" South Africa.' A novel, NINEVEH, will also be published by Umuzi in 2011.

For more on the launch of HOMING, including photos from the event at the Book Lounge click here

For more information on the Nelson Mandela Foundation's series of events and Ariel Dorfman's annual lecture click here 
 
More Praise for Henrietta Rose-Innes:

'Rose-Innes is a writer almost in the Virginia Woolf mould - lateral of mind and poetic in her style of narration.'
-- Leon de Kock, SA Sunday Times
 
'Henrietta Rose-Innes is a master of the beautifully thought-out metaphor. Her prose is elegant and liquid, and carries you along throughout.'
-- Helen Brain, Cape Times
 
'Henrietta Rose-Innes writes an admirably taut, clean prose...a welcome addition to the new South African literature.' 
-- J M Coetzee