BOOKS, artwork and antique writing instruments fill Damon Galgut’s apartment in Cape Town, yet his Booker Prize-winning novel The Promise lies unassumingly on a wooden table.
Each short-listed author for the Booker receives a unique handbound edition of their novel, in a cloth-lined box.
He has two others, for novels earlier honoured, but even when he points them out, it takes a moment to spot them on the shelves.
His home is smart, cool and comfortable – and Galgut is at ease in his sock feet and drawstring pants, just right for a longtime yogi.
Although soft-spoken and unpretentious, the 58-year-old South African knows he’s part of a huge moment for African literature. And he’s keenly aware of the rush of publicity that comes with a Booker win.
“It would be a pity to have that opportunity just slip by,” he said. “If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to
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