Marié Heese
Список книг автора Marié HeeseMaestro
Die beeldhouer en argitek Gianlorenzo Bernini is gebore in 1598. Hy was skaars tien toe beide sy pa en geledere uit die Vatikaan begin besef die jonge Bernini is geniaal – ’n kunstenaar wat in die voetspore van Michelangelo kan volg, of . . . selfs beter? Heese neem ons op ’n reis deur Bernini se lewe, vanaf sy grootwordjare totdat hy op die ouderdom van 41 in die huwelik tree. Deur sy sien ons die daaglikse lewe in Rome van die 1600’s, die Kerk wat tegelyk korrup en tog so toegeeflik teenoor sy kunstenaars is, en hoe Gianlorenzo algaande sy stem as beeldhouer vind. Bowenal sien ons hoe koorsagtig hy dít wat by hom spook, verbeeld – alles ter wille van die marmer, wat hy soos sagte vlees kan laat lyk. Maestro is ’n uitsonderlike geskiedkundige roman oor die geniale beeldhouer van die sewentiende eeu, eeue lank bykans vergete. En tegelyk is die boek ’n viering van kunstenaarskap en menswees. "Hierdie biografiese roman oor Bernini is soos die beeldhouwerk van ’n meester . . . daar is niks oorbodig nie; wat daar is, is sprekend en essensieel. Meer kan ’n mens nie van ’n boek vra nie.” – Deborah Steinmair
Karoo-Kantate
Die verhaal van Jeanne Labuschagne – of Jannie Lappies – wat vir ’n kort vakansie uit ’n kinderhuis in Kaapstad gehaal word deur Stien Terblanche, en geneem word na die klein dorpie waar Stien se oom, ’n wêreldbekende dirigent en komponis, woon. Jannie se lewe verander handomkeer wanneer die dirigent, Arnold Terblanche, haar pragtige sangtalent raaksien en besluit om ’n musiekstuk te skryf waarin sy die hoofrol sing. Die verhaal volg die voorbereiding vir die konsert, tesame met beide Jannie en Arnold se onderskeie emosionele wroeginge en spoke uit die verlede.
Vuurklip
’n Magiese roman oor die lotgevalle van die Land- en die Seestamme aan die suidkus van Afrika sowat honderdduisend jaar gelede. Dis die storie van Ama, jongvrou wat wil Storievrou en Moetievrou word, soos die ouvrou Maouma. Maar eers moet sy vróú word, die bloedgebed en die Eerste Ingaan beleef. Wie gaan haar herd-man wees? En waarheen verdwyn sy so skielik? Dis ook die storie van ’n magstryd: Wie gaan Hoofman-Owerste van al die Seestamme word? En dis die storie van die mensheid se oorlewingstryd, want die omgewing kan nie meer almal voed nie. Sal dit help as hulle beter gereedskap kan maak? Durf hulle ’n groot taboe breek om te kan oorleef? En by dit alles moet die wyse Sjamaan sorg dat hulle die geeste tevrede hou.
The Colour of power
An unputdownable novel about the Empress Theodora, considered by many the most influential and powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The reader follows her journey from her humble beginnings, the loss of her father, the compromises she must make between her personal sense of honour, faith and survival, and we watch with fascination as this strong woman fights her way through the ranks, from public entertainer and high-class prostitute to empress, to rule alongside her husband, Emperor Justinian. Heese unwinds a story of immense intrigue and historical detail. Her previous novel, The Double Crown, won the Commonwealth Prize (Best Book: Africa) 2010.Once again we are reminded that power tends to corrupt (and absolute power corrupts absolutely). And significantly, the colour of power is not the purple of royal robes, it is the colour of blood …
A Triple-headed Serpent
The sequel to The Colour of Power. Engrossing and moving, this sequel about the second part of Theodora’s life as empress of Byzantium opens with intrigue as one of Justinian’s old enemies, Cappodocian John, is revealed as a threat to the throne. Theodora’s unremitting feeling of guilt for a massacre she did not foresee, motivates her faith and many of her actions. And Justinian’s strange reference to the triple-headed serpent also lingers in her mind, casting a shadow… But Theodora once again emerges as a woman of strength and courage, who commands the love and dedication of two powerful men. Praise for The Colour of Power: “Heese … has captured the mood of an era, the soul of a woman and the ethos of a world.” – Shirley de Kock Gueller in the Cape Times.“Her ability to transport her readers back to Constantinople in AD 505 and have them walk in Theodora’s shoes is magical … You’ll learn more from this novel about the ways of the world and woman’s struggle to be an equal than in most feminist manifestos.” – Natalie Bosman in the Citizen.
The Double Crown
This gripping novel is the fascinating and true story of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh who ruled over Egypt for two decades around 1500 BC. The “double crown” refers to her reign over Upper and Lower Egypt, but also the dual nature of her life: Pharaoh and woman in one person. She relates her story in a series of scrolls, with additions by her scribe (to whom she has given the scrolls for safekeeping). We read about the grievous loss of her children; her thwarted love for Senenmut; the suspicion that impairs her judgement and eventually leads to the death of her friend, the loyal Khani. How Hatshepsut became pharaoh, and why her name was expunged from her temples and obelisks after her death, is the theme of this novel. A vibrant and poignant portrayal of an ambitious and courageous woman and the betrayals she faces, both as a woman and a ruler. (Most of the characters in the novel are recorded in history, only about 20 are fictional. But the fusion of fiction and non-fiction is seamless. The dwarf Bek and his wife, who are fictional, are as convincing as Hatshepsut’s nurse, who is an historical figure.)Dan Lazar, Heese’s US agent, rightly calls her “a literary stylist with commercial chops”.
Die Pikkewouters van Amper-stamperland
’n Lekker vrolike bundel stories oor die snaakse doen en late van die Pikkewouters van Amper-Stamperland. ’n Pikkewouter lyk amper soos ’n kabouter, maar ook so ’n bietjie soos ’n pikkewyn. Die land waar hulle woon se naam is Amper-Stamperland. Dinge is amper soos in hierdie land, maar ook nie heeltemal nie. Daarom dat die snaakse diere en dinge klein lesertjies so interesseer en amuseer. Klassieke stories wat al vir baie jare kinders en grootmense veel plesier verskaf het.