Gillian Slovo is a South African writer who has lived in England since 1964, working as a writer, journalist, and film producer. Her first novel, Morbid Symptoms (1984) began a Crime/Thriller fiction series featuring female detective Kate Baeier, which quickly rose to popularity. Her other novels include Ties of Blood (1989), The Betrayal (1991) and Red Dust (2000), a courtroom drama that explores the meanings and effects of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was made into a film released in 2004, starring Hilary Swank. A memoir, Every Secret Thing: My Family, My Country (1997) is a moving account of her childhood in South Africa and her relationship with her father, Joe Slovo, leader of the South African Communist party, and mother Ruth First, a journalist who was murdered in 1982, both of whom were heavily involved in the anti-apartheid movement. Her 2004 work Ice Road was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. With Victoria Brittain, she complied the controversial play, 'Guantanamo: Honour Bound to Defend Freedom', a compelling docu-drama based on the testimonies of the 'enemy combattants' held at Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as by family members, lawyers and politicians. Her most recent novel, Black Orchids (2008), is about a Sinhalese family who move to England in the 1950s.
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth235 - More about Gillian Slovo from Contemporary Writers.
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/3-5-2004-51288.asp - A touching interview with Gillian Slovo, in which she discusses the tireless work of her heroic parents, and who pays the price for the death of such people.
Gillian Slovo will be featured at the following events:
Friday 29 January, 10.00 AM - 11.00 AM, Hall de Galle: Who Do You Think You Are?
Friday 29 January, 2.15 PM - 3.15 PM, Maritime Museum: Every Secret Thing
Sunday 31 January, 3.30 PM - 4.30 PM, Maritime Museum: Guantanamo
Please click on Programme for more details about these events!