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That said, I would like all my fans to
know it is so very encouraging reading the stuff you send
me. I promise to try and answer you all at least once. I
don't really have the time to edit and post too many of your
comments but I will give a cross-section of folks from a mom
to a maniac from close friends to strangers...
But first, my Christmas present for 2006 was this letter:
Hi Al,
It's the evening of Christmas day in Taiwan, and it's bloody
freezing and I would hate the loneliness of my first
Northern Hemisphere Christmas so much more if I hadn't just
finished Acid Alex.
You are an incredible writer. I studied literature at
varsity, and if I ever pursue academia, I'm going to
campaign to get Acid Alex on South African prescribed
literature courses. I honestly think it's THE book every
Saffer should read, along with Madiba's and Paton's. Your
writing is so evocative. It's so much fun to read. I love
reading books that force you to mouth the words, swill them
around your tongue and against your teeth while you're
reading, so that they fit in your brain. Your book took me
longer than any book has taken me to read since I was in
grade two, and that's a compliment: usually I devour books
as quickly as a hungry Das would devour maggot-y porridge,
but yours wouldn't let me just fly through it. It asserted
itself every paragraph, and made me re-read and think and
adjust my opinions and prejudices and preconceptions before
I could carry on reading. It's a living thing, your book,
and I can't imagine what a trial it was, intellectually and
emotionally, to set everything down just as you thought it,
without screens or the safety of literary conventions, or
whatever. Or maybe intellectually it wasn't a trial, for
someone with a Gift (yes, I do think it deserves a capital,
and I know it sounds just like I'm kissing your ass but if
you can't do some unabashed ass-kissing at Christmas, when
can you, hey?). Everything else I read now seems so
colourless. You have changed the way I read. And I read more
than anyone I know, so that's no mean feat.
You've obviously changed the way many people think too,
about South Africa, about religion, about criminals,
orphans, drugs, the underbelly. I stopped thinking about God
when I went to varsity, and being out in a materialistic,
sort-of-Buddhist Asian country, I haven't given much of a
thought to my Christianity/spirituality in ages. Being in
love with my atheist boyfriend doesn't exactly encourage
nurturing of the spiritual, either. And while, for some
reason, I don't feel ready to commit to God again (that
sounds screwed up, even to me), when I do, you'll be my main
inspiration for it. Your idea of Him is the one I'd most
like to have, and I kind of hope to have similar moments of
enlightenment (crap word, I know, but I can't think of
another one, sorry) to yours when that time comes.
But most importantly, I think what you did with Acid Alex
was really courageous. You're a brave, brave guy. Not that
this will mean much to you, my being a perfect stranger and
all that, but I'm sorry about all the kak things that
happened to you.
Thanks for rocking my socks off, oke. Geseende Kersfees.
Respect,
Michelle
Teacher in the Republic of China, and admitted Acid Alex
addict (schloep, schloep)
[Al die beste vir jou ook engel and
have a truly prosperous and enlightening 2007! And honey, in
my experience, the Father knows when you will be ready and
He loves you way too much to be impatient with you or try
and force you into a box you can't fit into. This means you
too dear reader...Al]
A girl named T: "This
book changes lives, I wonder if even you can begin to
understand what a valuable expression this is in it's stark
honesty. I laughed, and I cried and I laughed and cried
again all the way through Acid Alex as I recognised so much
and resonated especially with the insidious damage and harm
done by some sections of organised religion. My father is
still a fanatical Christian and all these years later having
gone in circles and come around again in the same circles I
still find the pain suffered at the hands of Christians
something that makes me incredibly angry as you rightly
described it as yet another form of abuse. Acid Alex has
helped me immensely to forgive this and to see it in a new
light enabling me to enjoy a relationship with God as I
understand him........now without the guilt. Thank You!! I
have also realised that not everyone who believes in God and
has faith is hypocritical or evil and many have sincere and
honest intentions to practice their faith as honestly and
lovingly as they know how."
An ex-Narc in Iraq (1): " Heyta
Al, you've got me hooked, so hooked that can not stop with
this bloody book of yours, and that I don't want it to end.
I retired from the police service's narcotic section after
18 years, ja 18years of hunting ouks like you and just one
day I thought fuck it,let these ouens do what they do - good
fuck the State who doesn't even pay me a proper salary. So I
left and am in Iraq at the moment working personnal security
for the arabs-making seriously good money. I'm halfway
through your book and am so involved in your life that some
of the arabs down here saw it and wanted me to read it out
to them, translating it back into Arabic. They're tripping
over your story and hanging onto my lips for the next page.
Bet you didn't think that you'd go Middle East high hey? "
An ex-Narc in Iraq (2): " Al, fok ou, what a story,
what a brilliant book.
I finished it feels like I've been there with you through
it, me and all the Camel-jockeys. The Hieri Arabs think
you're the South African Al Capone and were hanging on my
fucking lips till the last page. They wanna know what you
look like, did I ever met you during undercover operations
and have I done a deal with you. Ha-Ha! My Broer, you've got
a moerse lota fans & kanonnies this side and they're
tripping seriously over your past and the life you had.
Fokken lapkoppe nicknamed you Alibaba (means Skelmroker). It
just took me some time to translate Acid Alex to them, but
believe me they were fucked right out of this world man. I
now know your world, who you are, what you've been and what
you've become. Al, your life-story has been a serious
inspiration to me and 'n moerse klomp arabiere. I salute you
as my mentor and guru for the years to come. Maybe one day
we'll meet up.
Fimala Habibi ! (Arabic for cheers my Bra)
The Gatta from Iraq! "
Close friend and mentor (My high school English teacher):
"I have just finished reading your brilliant book. I loved
it! I loved the smoothness and exuberance of your language (Koos
forgot to mention Tom Wolfe), your honesty, your
integrity, your spirit, your courage to love and be loved
and the way you healed yourself through healing Bambutu. You
have come further than anybody I have known or worked with.
" (Sounds like an A+ to me...Al)
A Mom: "I read your book and loved it. It was
pure horror... I have to tell you that I have changed my
opinion totally about bad people, especially bad kids. I
hate your adoptive parents for what they did to you and have
to tell you that other people (me included) have such
awesome parents and childhoods that my heart really went out
to you. A whole lot of us live such nice, uncomplicated
lives that its so hard to imagine what actually goes on in
other people's lives and homes. Since reading your book I
look at street people a whole lot differently and its
amazing what a smile can do. Mostly it gets a real good
response.
There are so many things I agree with you on, the church
especially.
Thank you, thank you for opening my eyes. Only problem is
that I can't stop swearing since I read it!"
A Journalist: "Amazing book man, tip-top. I haven't
had such a satisfying read since Bukowski's Ham on Rye,
which is some compliment and I mean it."
A Fellow Writer: "A damned fine piece of writing. I
really enjoyed reading it. What I especially like about your
writing is your fundamental honesty. As a former Charismatic
Christian, I thoroughly endorse and understand your expose
of their creepiness. What you say in your book resonates
perfectly with our experience. I especially liked your
undermining of their hypocrisy towards people of colour. I
said it before, your book is fundamentally honest and many
people have a problem dealing with honesty. Especially
Christians. Good shot! "
A Businessman: "Congratulations on your
Masterpiece!!! In your foreword Koos Kombuis said that it
would turn South African literature on its head, which I am
certain it will. I have recommended your "scripture" to
many. I cannot tell you what an inspiration your novel was
to me (coming from the wrong side of the tracks) and all
that. I felt a real connection with your life. I feel it
necessary to tell you that there is a silver lining to every
cloud! It seems you have already discovered this.
Congrats again."
Another Writer and Film maker: "I'm a writer and
filmmaker (documentaries mostly) and I was blown away by
your story and writing. I'm trying to write my own story so
I know how difficult it is and reading your book gave me the
push to just keep doing it, no matter the doubts and angst
and crappy stuff that lurks late at night. The whole way
through I kept thinking - I gotta see the movie of this, so
I eagerly await that. Full respect and power to you for
writing this unbelievable book. May you write many, many
more. "
Bobby Boy: "I still wander through second hand book
stores and buy any book that has anything to do with drugs,
I have quite a collection now. With that collection in mind,
I compared your book to "Snowblind by Zachary Swan"
and "Mr Nice by Howard Marks". If you have not read
these books let me know. I put these two books in the same
category, drug smugglers telling their stories... at least
you do not paint yourself as doing a good turn for the
world, and the hapless victim of a fucked law. I got a sense
of "The Invisible Man" - I think by Saul Bellow
- known as one of the great American Novels. Read my review
on Kalahari.net - when it is finished, I talk about Riaan
Malan "My Traitors Heart". This was my favourite
SA novel, surpassed now by Acid Alex. It is also an
individuals account of living in a fucked country, with a
liberal political slant. I have to make comments outside of
my obvious bias, but I think you may have something here...
I see no reason why you cannot move this book beyond My
Traitors heart and as Koos said, blow the lid on SA writing.
I can see that a stupendous amount of work went into
refining the finished product...
I'm sure you and I will discuss this book some time later,
but for now let me say...fucking well done brother... a
testament to focusing your energy from destruction to
creation. "
A Fellow Maniac: "My god, what a book, what a mind
fuck of a book. I read it in a day, got it as a b-day gift
and was totally blown away, being a big fan of Hunter S.
Thomson and Jack Kerouac. I found your book
hovering beautifully between the two, yet it has its own
style so unique that you just can't help being sucked in.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and the incident at the Boiler Room
was quite funny as I remember that night being there in the
club. Man its amazing you actually have a story to tell.
It was an inspiration, an eye-opener and good to see that I
can identify with couzins who are one and the same, even
though our paths may be different, we are "roekers"
evermore, or evernot so more. Thank you"
A kindred casualty of The Children's Act: " Reading
your book made me go back in my past and start picking out
the good from the bad...I was in Tenderton Place of
Safety...then on to Fredrick Sweizer (some children's home
in Kenilworth) and then on to H.S. Van Der walt - industrial
school! Uncle Guvvie said he did not have bucks a couple of
years later - and sent me onto Kruinsig high school - Die
Bult's sister school...I think guys had it harder,
tougher....but the emotions were all the same....welfare,
courts, disconnected/disinterested parents...the negative
perceptions that we were trouble-makers and would amount to
nothing.
It is a REAL book....I laughed a couple of times because the
truth was so in your face. I was remembering things I had
forgotten! Those steel cups of nuts and raisins - and the
pink jam....being a Number! The lockups....over looking the
smoke room...holidays at School, because no one wanted to
have another crazy holiday phoning the cops to go look for
me..... "
Another Journalist: "I just finished your book Acid
Alex and it's a classic. Thanks for the insights and
honesty. Wicked skills."
A theology student: "I love this
line on the cover of your book; "Acid Alex will shock you,
assault, educate and entertain you, and take you on a trip
beyond your wildest imagining." It's so true…
Throughout your book I was filled with various kinds of
emotions from anger to love to forgiveness… It was an
experience I wouldn't change for anything in this world.
My heart sank as I closed the book for the final time… A
story worth a thousand words…
I loved the way you shared the love of Christ in a book
which will probably never be accepted within the church. I
believe that you did and are still doing a better job than
so many evangelicals… You're real and that's why I loved it.
You spoke from the heart and it's evidently clear that you
did so… I felt a small portion of your pain and it was
unbearable for me… I had to put the book down at times… yet,
your story was one that kept me coming back for more. I
wanted to hear the final outcome. I wanted to know why
you're the man you are today and why I have so much respect
for you.
The pain that you have gone through has taught me so much
about Christ's love for me as an individual. It doesn't stop
there, you to have helped me look at the way I live my life.
You've made me look at what I take seriously and what I
don't. You've made me look at my life and question what I've
done and why I've done it. You've helped me realise that my
past is my past and my future is my future…
I found myself many times where I had moaned and groaned
over the silly things I have to deal with in my life,
turning to look at yours. Every time I take a glimpse, I'm
utterly at a loss for words… My life, which I consider to be
so demanding and out rightly continuously full of on going
crap seems like a speck of dust in comparison to yours… Here
I am complaining that my chicken is dry whilst you're
munching down on pap filled with worms, which you considered
as protein.
I'm pissed off with the way the church reacted to you and
I'm pissed off at the fact that these guys are so called
pastors. True, there is always a second side to a story, but
the way you share your story makes me question as to whether
it really is necessary for one to be apart of a
congregation. I experience more on a day to day basis, God's
love outside the church than I do in it. I think the
majority of the church has horribly missed the point. They
have no idea what love actually is. Your book Al, is filled
to the brim with the truth of what I would refer to as Gods
love. A simple yet important message: God loves me,
regardless of what I am and what I've done.
It pisses me off immensely to see how people ridicule you
for your theology and don't have the balls to stand up and
fight you. They believe so firmly that their theology is the
correct way, yet they can't stand up and debate with you?
And these men are pastors!!! Leaders of God's church!!! The
anger that fills me brings tears to my eyes and makes my
heart ache… So many children, women and men are out there…
crying for the love of God… and those who are suppose ably
the ones who know all about the love of God know absolutely
nothing about it.
Not only did you educate me, shock me and assault me, you
entertained me… Through my tears as I read your story, there
were moments where I laughed and giggled to myself. There
were times where I wanted to strangle you because of your
stupidity. Yet, through it all, I wanted to shake your hand
and thank you for showing me the love of God like no pastor
ever has…
I truly do hope that one day we will get to meet and have
that cold one you asked for…
Thank you again, for a story which has touched me deeply.
Words will never truly be able to explain the impact you
have made upon my life and the way I look at myself and
others.
Again, thank you…" A lady named
Caroline: I've just finished reading "Acid Alex", for
the first time :) Wow. It taught me more about my country
than any other indigenous scribblings I've read, including
the Nobel winners. The Chiz
Interview:
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