Pat Stevens

The Old Farts vs The Fatberg is causing considerable interest, as it is the first novel by Pat Stevens set in Britain, all his other books are based in Africa. Patrick John Stevens was born in Johannesburg in the same month Steve Biko was born, Christmas 46 was also the month Alan Paton completed Cry, the Beloved Country, so some characters in the first Pat Stevens novels derive from both sources. The four books in The Greatest Game series, describe the events leading to the 1994 South African transition to democracy, detailing the scepticism of the liberal newspapers that almost derailed the democratic process.

Unfortunately for South Africa these purveyors of doubt are still around today, so the Hero of the Struggle describes the rise to the presidency by Jacob Zuma and the press complicity in his persecution, while Zulu Vampire highlights the 2018 expose of the newspapers fake 'death squad' story. There are two semi-autobiographical books titled White Bird Under the Sun and Dice of Life, the Cloud Eater novel concentrates on African fables and Parables and Poems is a collection of the authors short pieces, while the Greatest Book Ever Written is naturally a study of the Bible.

South Africa is an intriguing country in which to set novels, people still marvel at the 'miracle' 1994 democratic election as today they puzzle over the 'miraculous' rise of Jacob Zuma to the presidency, the Pat Stevens novels explain how 'miracles' can be arranged by a prescient writer. Ask yourself what is the primary duty of an author, to merely entertain and amuse or to use their talent for the betterment of mankind, and what is the authors reward? Perhaps one day Pat Stevens will be known as the Emile Zola of South African literature, a writer who valiantly defended the persecuted Jacob Zuma, like Emile Zola defended falsely accused Captain Alfred Dreyfus.