Transcultural memory and intertextuality in Fred Khumalo’s seven steps to heaven

摘要

Enriching the mise-en-scene of a South Africa in transition with everything ranging from the music of the famous Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes troupe and South African trio dubbed ‘Joy’ to movie titles, this novel by Fred Khumalo is propelled forth by its play on theambitions of a young black struggling writer and the vicissitudes of the publishing worldwhich, by chance, celebrates his postmodern novel-within-a-novel The Oneness of Two inThree and a prize-winning trans-cultural short story called “Ramu the Hermit”. Thisexperimentation, however, simultaneously holds up and tests the virtues of the writingvocation exemplified by great poets of the Irish town of Limerick in a space where all things avant garde enjoy commercial success.