Not a fairytale by Shaida Kazie Ali

"Shaida Kazie Ali’s debut novel, Not a Fairy Tale won the University of Johannesburg Prize. "Her novel tells the story of two Indian sisters, Selena and Zuhra, different in appearance and personality, growing up in apartheid. Interviewer: "In the book you weave your own terrifying and at the same time terribly funny retellings of fairy tales into the narrative. Where does your interest in fairy tales come from?" AKZ: "Long before I could read, I was hooked on an American comic-book horror series called The Witching Hour . The narrators are three witches and I adored examining their sketches. Today, I recognise them as archetypes (maiden, mother, crone) and I scorn their stereotypical, sexist representation, but they were my introduction to the magic of stories. When I re-read fairy tales as an adult, I was irritated by the blatant misogyny and dichotomy of many of them in which women are either mute and cute princesses or evil old witches." Carolyn Meads Sunday Times | 19 June, 2011 04:45 Well worth reading!