Author Archives: aridag
Journeys into the page: how (imaginary) travelling & movement can inspire & nurture your writing
If you ever happen to be in British Columbia in May, find a way to reach Salmon Arm, in the Thompson Okanagan region, for the “Word on the Lake Literary Festival” (May 8-10). Salmon Arm has been ranked as the … Continue reading
https://blogs.ubc.ca/afrikaner/follow 
“I was very surprised at your insight into my psyche as an Afrikaner”
South African actor Gys de Villiers (“Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom”) has kindly accepted to provide his feedback on my novel The Afrikaner, a story of hate, love, guilt and scientific obsession inspired by the five years (1996-2000) I spent … Continue reading
Authors, What are you reading right now?
“It’s simply immense in scope, character development, historical reconstruction, poetic sensibility, human empathy. I consider it a sort of secular Bible for the creative writer. It belongs to another era but it still speaks to us, to all fundamental weaknesses … Continue reading
How do South African and Canadian Readers React to “The Afrikaner”?
As an Italian writer who has published her South African-based novel The Afrikaner while living in Canada (Guernica Editions, Toronto, 2019), I am particularly eager to receive feedback from South African and Canadian readers. Thus, I am grateful to fiction editor … Continue reading
From Fellow Writer to Fellow Writer: “Discomfort” and “Trust”
It is always a special honour to receive the appreciation of a fellow writer for one’s work. The Canadian writer Chantal Garand, author of the novel Natalia Z. (Annika Parance Editeur, Montréal, 2018), which will also appear in Norwegian translation in 2020, … Continue reading
Universal themes in a unique setting: An Interview on “The Afrikaner” by Victor Van Der Merwe
“When it comes to societies like South Africa, there is always something that will contradict your preconceived notions,” says Arianna Dagnino, author of “The Afrikaner,” published by Guernica Editions (Toronto) in 2019. “I think what is happening now in the Western … Continue reading
Science in Fiction or Fiction in Science?
How much science can there be in fiction and, at the same time, how much fiction (that is, creative imagination) can there be in science? A new – rather controversial – study conducted by Australian scientists on mitochondrial DNA claims … Continue reading
Surrey’s Writers International Conference
If you happen to be in Surrey at the Writers International Conference this Saturday, come to have a chat at my desk, where I will be signing copies of the Afrikaner from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm.
“The Afrikaner” has landed in New York
Thanks to author Judith Reveal for her ravishing review in the “New York Journal of Books.” “Arianna Dagnino is to be complimented on her storytelling ability. She describes the beauty of South Africa through the careful choice of words, providing … Continue reading
NANAIMO! Oct 24th!
If you ever happen to be on Vancouver Island on October 24th, please join us for a book reading-cum-discussion on “The Afrikaner” at the “White Rabbit” in Nanaimo, from 6.30 pm to 8.00. The event is part of “Portfolio, “a … Continue reading