artSMart is sad to note the death on
November 5 of Margaret Lenta, Emeritus Professor of English Literature and
senior research associate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She had been
battling with cancer for some time, and suffered several setbacks earlier in
2012.
“Her last contact with us was at Ike's
Books on 8 May when she was discussant with Imraan Coovadia on the launch of
his novel, The Institute for Taxi Poetry,”
says Cedric Sissing of Adams Booksellers. “Her last book was South Africa Literature beyond 2000,
co-edited with Professor Michael Chapman. I fondly remember her notable wit,
when she shared a breakfast table with me and the UKZN Press staff, at the
Fritz Hotel Cape Town during the 2012 Cape Town Book Fair.”
Professor Lenta is also well-known for her book,
Paradise, the Castle and the Vineyard:
Lady Anne Barnard’s Cape Diaries (2006). The Wits University Press website records:”Paradise,
the Castle and the Vineyard contains annotations which provide
contextual and historical information, anecdotes and insights into Lady Anne’s
thoughts and comments, providing the reader with a deeper understanding of her
life, times and the people with whom she interacted.”
Professor Lenta’s funeral service will be
held at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, 354 Nicolson Road, Umbilo tomorrow
(November 8) at 10h30. The church is situated in Glenwood at the traffic circle
intersection with Queen Mary Avenue.
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