Letters from Wankie: A Place in Colonial Africa - Softcover

Friedberg, Patricia

4.25

12 ratings by Goodreads

9781568251653: Letters from Wankie: A Place in Colonial Africa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1568251653 ISBN 13: 9781568251653

Publisher: Rainbow Books Incorporated, 2013

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"Letters from Wankie" is a unique true story based on the collection of some 500 air letters the author, British-born Patricia Friedberg, wrote home to England in the mid-1950s, during the first two years of her marriage to her South African physician husband. Together the newlyweds moved to the remote mining town of Wankie in the far northwest corner of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where he was employed as a colliery doctor. More than 50 years later, after her mother passed away, Patricia found among her mother's papers the bundle of air letters neatly tied and safely stored. Reading through the collection it was evident that the letters contained an incredible, historical account of life during the colonial years as seen through the eyes and writings of a young woman, twenty years of age, who was, unbelievably, even to herself, employed as Clerk of the Court at the Native Commissioner's Office. Despite the enormous cultural differences the young Londoner faced -- the challenging and often shocking exposure to tribal practices and native law -- she carried on, overcoming obstacles with spunk and grit and a saving sense of humor. PRAISE FOR "LETTERS FROM WANKIE" "A gorgeous, touching, tragic tale of a lost -- but now, thanks to Patricia Friedberg -- never forgotten time in a remote corner of colonial Africa." --Douglas Rogers, "New York Times" journalist and author of "The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe" ". . . a delightful account of a plucky young woman who takes things as they come and makes the best of them. She effectively uses the device of letters to home . . . Patricia’s 'voice' made me smile all through her account . . . like listening to a charming tale told by a good friend . . . a friend you have known forever. Well done!" --Georgia Court, owner, Bookstore 1, Sarasota "What an adventure! I loved this book! I could not stop reading this honestly portrayed, exhilarating account . . . Filled with humour and astute wry observations, this is a delightful trip into the past . . . a valuable slice of history that documents an era now washed away, an insight into a country which was once the jewel of Africa, and now is in ruins." --Paul Williams, Ph.D., author of "Soldier Blue" "An inspiring -- and most satisfying read." --Joan Kufrin, author of "Uncommon Women" and "Leo Burnett, Star-Reacher" ". . . mental scenery that is thought-provoking, instructs and entertains. Exceedingly well done and a pleasure to read." --Marilyn Pincus, bestselling author, ghostwriter and member of the Authors Guild, New York, NY

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From the Inside Flap:

Patricia Friedberg's Letters from Wankie, her memoir of starting married life in colonial Rhodesia with her newly minted doctor husband, is a delightful account of a plucky young woman who takes things as they come and makes the best of them. She effectively uses the device of letters to home to set up her story. Then, for her readers, she fills in the backstory she didn't want her parents to know.

"Patricia's 'voice' made me smile all through her account of life in Wankie, which one of the book's characters calls 'the hell hole of Rhodesia.' As she ponders spending two years there she asks herself: Why on earth hadn't I asked a few questions beforehand? Like do we have a house with a proper roof? Or . . . Was there a psychiatrist or a marriage counselor I could speak with, if need be?

"Her descriptions of her job at the Native Affairs Department are priceless (and certainly accurate). Each day she is called on to work with the local tribesmen who arrive inside her office with whole families, including their livestock: 'I raced to retrieve the recently signed copy of the European marriage certificate from the mouth of an oversized Billy goat. The cow wouldn't stop mooing, her udders just about reaching the ground. Will someone please milk that cow?'

"Reading Letters from Wankie is like listening to a charming tale told by a good friend and, throughout the book, Friedberg exhibits the knack of making you feel she's a friend you have known forever.

"Well done!"

Georgia Court, owner, Bookstore 1 Sarasota, Florida

About the Author:

Patricia Friedberg was born in London, attended The Henrietta Barnett School and continued her studies at The London School of Journalism. She married a South African doctor, who was furthering his studies in London, and they left for Southern Africa, living for ten years in what was then The Rhodesias, both North and South, first in Wankie (renamed Hwange) and later in Salisbury (renamed Harare after independence), Zimbabwe. While living in Wankie, Rhodesia she worked as Clerk of the Court in the Office of the Native Commissioner, dealing with tribal and European law, before moving to live in the city of Salisbury (Harare) in Rhodesia, where she joined the newly formed TV station RTV (Rhodesian Television). Her experiences in Hwange allowed her to travel freely into the bush, taking along a photographer. From those interviews she produced a number of Tribal Documentaries and wrote articles to the Rhodesian Herald. Political unrest intensified in Rhodesia, and, for the safety of their children, the family reluctantly left to settle in the U.S. -- first in Baltimore and then in Milwaukee. In the years that followed, she travelled extensively with her husband, then a Professor of Cardiology, to major cities in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. Patricia attended a playwriting course at Marquette University where her first play, "Masquerade," won the play writer’s award. She collaborated on a series of children's books, titled The Alfred Stories, adventures taken from her reminiscences of her own childhood in London during World War II. In keeping with that theme she composed the story and music for a musical, “Twenty-One Aldgate.” As Moderator at NBC affiliate WMTJ-TV Milwaukee's "People of the Book," she interviewed major celebrities, politicians, including the Israeli ambassador, UN Representatives and various personalities in Art and Music. After moving to Florida she wrote the film script for her book "Journey from the Jacarandas," a feature film begun in Zimbabwe but interrupted and unfinished due to civil disobedience and government sanctions. Children’s books, titled "Dear Sammie" and “Dear Jake: a letter from a grandparent to a child of divorcing parents,” were co-authored with her daughter Adrienne Meloni. The novel “21 Aldgate” by Patricia Friedberg (Rainbow Books, Inc., 2010) was released in both the US and the UK. It is now available in softcover and ebook. The book has been optioned by Progress Pictures, Ltd., UK.

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