Philida

An unforgettable story of a woman determined to find her freedom - set in South Africa in 1830s, as slavery was about to be abolished. The masterpiece from the twice Booker-shortlisted author.

This is what it means to be a slave: that everything is decided for you from out there. You just got to listen and do as they tell you. You don't say no. You don't ask questions. You just do what they tell you. But far in the back of your head you think: One day there must come a time when you got to say for yourself: This and that I shall do, this and that I shall not.

Philida is the mother of four children by François Brink, the son of her master. The year is 1832 and the Cape is rife with rumours about the liberation of the slaves. Philida decides to risk her whole life by setting off for distant Stellenbosch on foot to lodge a complaint against François, who has reneged on his promise to set her free.

His father has ordered him to marry a white woman from a prominent Cape Town family, and Philida will be sold on to owners in the harsh country up north.Unwilling to accept the fate her owners have decided for her, Philida continues to test the limits of her freedom and her language – a journey that begins with the small but endlessly difficult act of learning to say No. Philida is an unforgettable story of one woman's determination to survive and be free.

About the Author

Andre Brink is the author of several novels in English, including A Dry White Season, Imaginings of Sand, The Rights of Desire and The Other Side of Silence. He has won South Africa's most important literary prize, the CNA Award, three times and has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize.