Mike Nicol Discusses “Narrative Non-fiction” in Monkey Business: The Murder of Anni Dewani
Crime writer Mike Nicol spoke to LitNet’s Janet van Eeden about his “narrative non-fiction” book, Monkey Business: The Murder of Anni Dewani. In the interview, Nicol expresses his annoyance with journalists who have criticised his work as “nothing new”. Nicol says, “they miss the merit of narrative non-fiction and the way the book is constructed”:
Well done, Mike, for getting this book on to the shelves while the issue is still very topical. As the court case hasn’t come to South Africa yet, but is due to be heard here, this is a very clever move on your part. What prompted you to tap into the interest around the murder trial which has horrified South Africans and others, especially Britons?
Actually I was prompted by a suggestion from Frederik de Jager (the publisher at Umuzi) that I do something on the Anni Dewani murder. He first raised the issue in December last year and that got me thinking about it. At the time I couldn’t see a way to write up the murder in a way that would fit within the dictates of a fairly tight budget. However, while on holiday in Knysna, and after a lot of staring into the middle distance, I came up with the idea of running snippets out of the media as a way of piecing the narrative together. And Frederik and Umuzi liked the idea. I also have a fascination with narrative non-fiction and this seemed to be an interesting way to go about it. I don’t think it’s a form (the arrangement of discreet clippings from other sources) that is often used.
Book details
- Monkey Business: The Murder of Anni Dewani: the facts, the fiction, the spin by Mike Nicol
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EAN: 9781415201145
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