Ghosts of South Africa

Ghosts of South Africa by Pat Hopkins

Now THIS is my kind of book. I’m a sucker for ghost stories as they’re told in myth and legend (not mad about scary movies, though) and I’ve often looked for a good guide to our own home-grown South African spooks – and having so often been unsuccessful, even taken to writing some of my own. But somehow, they never quite satisfy: it’s a bit like cooking – your dishes will ALWAYS taste better than anything I make myself.

And this book is as rich and entertaining meal if ever there was one. Of course all our old favourites are there – van Hunks and the Devil, Lady Anne Barnard at the Castle in Cape Town, the Flying Dutchman – but Mr Hopkins, who graduated in history and political science from the University of Natal, gives us a whole lot more. Ghosts of the Boer War Sieges, spooks in the hospital wards, spirits in the theatre all vie for our attention. And their stories lead us down our historical and political highways and back roads and across our literary veld – and it’s a thrilling journey.

This is definitely a fireside book. I can just imagine one of your guests picking it up on a rainy afternoon and reading on deep into the night.

Another one that out to be included in your guest house library.

Buy Ghosts of South Africa here.