Experts
Ceridwen Dovey
Author
It's too late for that, says Dovey. Read More
Imbedding anthropologists with combat units in Afghanistan presents some unique opportunities, as well as some ethical liabilities, Dovey says. Read More
Ethical change always lags behind technological change, Dovey says. Read More
You have to hand it to Angelina, Dovey says. Read More
Botswana's tackling of the AIDS crisis can teach the rest of the continent something. Read More
The concept of "Africa" is not strictly European in origin; African leaders have propagated the idea, too. Read More
South African colonialism was home-grown. Read More
Jacob Zuma's rise is a frightening embodiment of the country's class tension. Read More
Dovey believes that class seems to be the more important factor. Read More
Ritual is fundamental to who we are, Dovey says. Read More
Dovey was raised an agnostic in a sea of conservative Christianity. Read More
Dovey cherishes the novel that is honest about its own limitations. Read More
J.M. Coetzee is the gold standard, Dovey says. Read More
Just leave it for a while, Dovey says. Read More
Procrastination stems from fear and self-protection, says Dovey. Read More
Remember that writing is still work, Dovey says. Read More
Young writers are often treated as the goose that lays the golden egg, Dovey says. Read More
Dovey feels that she stumbled into success. Read More
Guilt is never one-dimensional, Dovey says, and complicity always complicates how it's distributed. Read More
The book, Dovey says, is a parable of power. Read More
About Ceridwen Dovey
Ceridwen Dovey is a South African born novelist who now lives in New York. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Harvard in 2003, Dovey returned to South Africa to write a novel. Blood Kin, the result of that work, was published in 2007 to critical acclaim: the novel was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Informed by Dovey's South African roots, the novel tells the story of a fictional military coup from the perspective of the overthrown leader's portraitist, chef, and barber. Dovey is currently completing a PhD in Anthropology at New York University. Dovey doesn't see a conflict between her two passions. "Both anthropology and good fiction are full of thick description and a layering of detail," she says.