As part of his series 21 ICONS South Africa filmmaker and photographer Adrian Steirn pays homage to Nobel prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer.
She is the first artist to be included in the series and his “Alice in Wonderland” portrait celebrates her “profound love of books and writing’ by having her sit atop life-size copies of some of her books
and if you ever wondered where Gordimer stands on going to school to learn how to write:
“Read and write. Don’t go to creative writing class. You can’t be taught to write. You can be taught to be a good journalist, but you cannot be taught to be a poet or a novelist. You read, read, read so that you become aware of the power and the range of the word — and then you want to do your own little experiment.”
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Also of note is Steirn’s portrait of Gcina Mhlophe. She is one of South Africa’s most beloved storytellers and stands carrying on her head in traditional fashion the books that have influenced her.
“Her very being is inspired by the stories she carries with her every day,” says Steirn of the concept behind the portrait.