Experts
Ceridwen Dovey
Author
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Should we just leave Africa alone?
It's too late for that, says Dovey. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In World
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What needs to change in academia?
Imbedding anthropologists with combat units in Afghanistan presents some unique opportunities, as well as some ethical liabilities, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Politics & Policy
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Are our worried that climate change just a passing fad?
Ethical change always lags behind technological change, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Environment
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You have to hand it to Angelina, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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What are the models of success in Africa?
Botswana's tackling of the AIDS crisis can teach the rest of the continent something. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In World
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The concept of "Africa" is not strictly European in origin; African leaders have propagated the idea, too. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In World
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What is the legacy of colonialism in Africa?
South African colonialism was home-grown. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In World
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What role does class play in South African society?
Jacob Zuma's rise is a frightening embodiment of the country's class tension. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In World
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As a South African, what do you make of race relations in America?
Dovey believes that class seems to be the more important factor. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Politics & Policy
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Ritual is fundamental to who we are, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Belief
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Dovey was raised an agnostic in a sea of conservative Christianity. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Belief
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What's in your personal literary cannon?
Dovey cherishes the novel that is honest about its own limitations. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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Which writers have influenced your work?
J.M. Coetzee is the gold standard, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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How do you get past writer's block?
Just leave it for a while, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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Procrastination stems from fear and self-protection, says Dovey. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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Do you have any advice for young writers?
Remember that writing is still work, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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What pressures do young writers in New York face?
Young writers are often treated as the goose that lays the golden egg, Dovey says. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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What is it like to be a young writer?
Dovey feels that she stumbled into success. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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Guilt is never one-dimensional, Dovey says, and complicity always complicates how it's distributed. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Belief
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The book, Dovey says, is a parable of power. Read More
February 22, 2008 | In Arts & Culture
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.
