Gillian Slovo

Gillian Slovo     (novelist, playwright)
Born	15 March 1952
Novelist, playwright and memoirist. Daughter of Ruth First and Joe Slovo.

Gillian Slovo is one of three daughters of anti-apartheid activists Ruth First and Joe Slovo and is a novelist, playwright and memoirist. Her courtroom drama Red Dust (2000) explored the meanings and effects of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Support for Jeremy Corbyn

On 20 February 2019, Gillian Slovo was one of over 200 Jewish members and supporters of the Labour Party to sign a letter to The Guardian urging that anyone seeking an end to bigotry and racism should back Labour and Jeremy Corbyn:

You report (19 February) that a number of implacably anti-Corbyn MPs have left the Labour Party alleging a failed “approach to dealing with antisemitism”, with Luciana Berger criticising Labour for becoming “sickeningly institutionally racist”.

We are Jewish members and supporters of the Labour party concerned about the current rise of reactionary ideologies, including antisemitism, in Britain and elsewhere across Europe.

We note the worrying growth of populist rightwing parties, encouraging racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. In Britain the far right is whipping up these prejudices, a threat that requires a resolute and energetic response. But instead we have seen a disproportionate focus on antisemitism on the left, which is abhorrent but relatively rare.

We believe that the Labour Party under the progressive leadership of Jeremy Corbyn is a crucial ally in the fight against bigotry and reaction. His lifetime record of campaigning for equality and human rights, including consistent support for initiatives against antisemitism, is formidable. His involvement strengthens this struggle.

Labour governments introduced both the anti-racist and human rights legislation of the 20th century and the 2010 Equality Act. A Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn will be a powerful force to fight against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism.

It is in this context that we welcome the Labour Party’s endorsement of freedom of expression on Israel and on the rights of Palestinians. Labour is correct to recognise that while prejudice against Jewish people is deplorable, criticism of Israel’s government and policies can and must be made.

We urge all who wish to see an end to bigotry and racism, and who seek a more just society, to give their support to the Labour Party.

Novels

Gillian Slovo's latest novel, Ten Days, begins in London on a run down council estate where a young black man is accidentally killed whilst being restrained by police. In the days that follow, a peaceful demonstration turns into violent protest and the resulting riots begin to spread countrywide. On BBC Radio 4's Frontrow of 2 March 2016, Gillian Slovo discussed her book, and revealed how it was inspired by interviews she did with police, politicians, rioters and residents involved in the riots of 2011.

• Morbid Symptoms (1984)
• Death by Analysis (1986)
• Death Comes Staccato (1987)
• Ties of Blood (1989)
• The Betrayal (1991)
• Looking for Thelma (1991)
• Façade (1993)
• Catnap (1994)
• Close Call (1995)
• Red Dust (2000)
• Ice Road (2004)
• Black Orchids (2008)
• An Honourable Man (2012)
• Ten Days (2016)

Plays

• Guantanamo : Honour Bound to Defend Freedom (with Victoria Brittain) (2005)
• The Riots (2011 play)

Memoirs

Gillian Slovo's 1997 memoir, Every Secret Thing: My Family, My Country, is an account of her childhood in South Africa and her relationship with her parents Joe Slovo and Ruth First — both famous South Africans and major figures in the anti-apartheid struggle who lived perilous lives of exile, armed resistance, and occasional imprisonment, which culminated in her mother's assassination in a letter bomb attack by Craig Williamson in 1982. A family memoir in the form of a feature film, A World Apart (1988), was written by her sister Shawn Slovo and starred Barbara Hershey.

English PEN Presidency

Slovo was the 25th president of the English Centre of International PEN, the worldwide writers fellowship. In 2012 she took part in a PEN International delegation to Mexico to protest the killing of journalists in that country, alongside presidents of other PEN Centres and internationally prominent writers.

External links

• Contemporary Writers: Gillian Slovo
• Gillian Slovo discusses Red Dust on the BBC World Book Club
• Audio/Video recording of a talk by Gillian Slovo on "Human Rights and the Arts: Guantanamo in the Theatre" at the University of Chicago.
• Interview of Gillian Slovo by Anthony Clare on BBC Radio 4's In the Psychiatrist's Chair (originally broadcast August 1997), based in part on her biography

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