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Writing has always been there, lurking in the background and forcing me back to the keyboard. Initially (like all addictions) I thought I could control it by writing a column for Runner's World. Then came the travelling articles for Leisure Wheels. By that time I should have known I wouldn't be able to kick the habit.
Choosing to retire at a relatively early age from my Urological practice to feed my addiction, I wrote Facing Surgery With Christ, published by Tate in the USA. In the book I addressed the anxiety of patients with life-threatening diseases. Why? During my time as cancer surgeon I found that doctors don't tell patients what they need to hear. If somebody tells you that you are going to die, you need something to hold on, at least. It is useless to get lost in medical jargon; you need a realistic and sympathetic approach you can understand. The feedback on Facing Surgery convinced me to keep on writing.
The opportunity arose to explore the personality of one of our extremist politicians and with it the challenge to see if a moderate thinker (like me) could understand the radical mind of Eugene Terre'Blanche. The result was a memoir/biography that was completed a short time before his murder. This book appeared in Afrikaans and was later translated into English.
So, here I am: lost in the world of words and stories. My hobby has become a passion.
Reviewed by Lee Ashford for Readers' Favorite
“Imagine: Africa!” by Amos van der Merwe is a collection of short stories about Africa, but it is also so much more than just a collection of short stories. When reading these tales, you really will imagine Africa. The tales include humorous anecdotes, allegorical comparisons of wild nature vs. human nature, thought-provoking consideration of extreme cultural diversity, and sheer wonder at the wild beauty still on display throughout much of the African continent. The author’s short bio at the end of the book will confirm your growing belief that he must be an amazing man, to convey so much emotion through the written word. I doubt whether a lesser man could paint word pictures nearly so well.
I have long been enamored of the African continent, ever since my introduction as a youngster to the Allan Quatermain stories, by H. Rider Haggard. As entertaining as I found those stories, these tales met and exceeded my expectations, from the very first story to the very last one. They touched some longing, deep inside my essential self, to visit Africa; perhaps some spark remaining intact after eons of evolution, hearkening back to the cradle of human civilization. It is something of a cliché for a book reviewer to say a story “pulled” him in, or that he became “involved” in the tale. But I can find no better words to describe my gut-level response to this book. I heartily recommend “Imagine: Africa!” to everybody who can read. Nobody is exempt from the powerful pull of this book, and nobody should pass up the opportunity to read it.
