The Rowing Lesson

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Winner of the South African M-Net Literary Prize (English category), this work showcases language of remarkable fire and passion, as noted by J.M. Coetzee. The narrative is celebrated for its fluid metaphors, urgent storytelling, and the poignant desperation of a daughter’s love, as highlighted by O Magazine. Critics have described it as beautiful, original, and intensely exhilarating, with comparisons to literary greats like Joyce and Gass. The story follows Betsy Klein, who is called from her home in the U.S. to her dying father's bedside in a South African hospital. In this emotional moment, she speaks to him in a lyrical second-person voice, exploring his life—his journey to becoming a doctor after losing his parents and his struggle for respect as a Jewish man among Boer patients. Through this intimate connection, she also reflects on her own experiences with him as a father. Anne Landsman, born and raised in South Africa, has a rich educational background from the University of Cape Town and Columbia University. Her debut novel, set in South Africa, received notable recognition and she currently resides in Manhattan with her family.