ABSTRACT
Lauren Beukes is arguably South Africa's most recognized writer of science fiction. In this interview, she talks about her life, her books, her awards, and the function of literature. She also makes known her support for causes that condemn social injustice and racism. Recent publications in the field of African speculative fiction treat Beukes' works with reverence and situate her as part of the discourse on the contributions of women to not only African speculative narratives, but also Afrofuturistic works. This interview addresses these aspects of her work and attempts to answer many unknown information pertinent to the author's writing. I asked Beukes not only questions concerning her creative writing but also the process of writing. Her views are quite inspiring, given that she also appears to be a writer who is deeply concerned about the fate of the disenfranchised and the historical events that shape race relations in South Africa. This interview also attempts to examine the social, political, and geographical implications of her oeuvres. How do we discuss the African writer in the context of world literature? How is South African fiction part of the ongoing discourse on African speculative writing and the field of futuristic writings coming out of Africa? Are women's voices significant and appropriately located in the contemporary African speculative fiction? These issues, among others, dominate the ideas discussed in this interview between Lauren Beukes and Nigerian-American scholar, Dike Okoro.
