Paul Simon

Kafkaesque, Kalashnikov & Kaput Paul Simon

An irreverent look at Urban Legends in the Diaspora that is modern day South Africa. The stories usually have their origins in some fact, but as a result of innate human fear, they are partially fabricated to sound more entertaining. The idea of Kafka's writing is central to these myths. Our innate fear is borne by the anxiety of a changing society, in which the political power shift has given most South Africans a sense of purpose, but where doubts still linger in the minds of those who question the credibility and wisdom of a 'one man, one vote' system in a society where impressionable minds can be easily swayed. The reader is given the option to decide to what degree that might be prevalent in their minds. By reading into these stories their sense of isolation from a rapidly changing political and social system, the reader can determine their own degree of that isolation. But to the reader who recognises their reality, there is a certainty in the manner in which we view each conclusion. The reader is taken on a journey with each story, intended to give them an opportunity to reflect on their own beliefs. Where the conclusion to each story leaves the reader is as subjective as all those dinner table conversations that evoked these written short stories. Social circumstances will dictate what their reaction will be. The idea is to provoke a reaction so as to entertain and expose those myths. - Simon-Paul