A literary genius out of Africa

CREATIVE literary writer Sue Read-Lobo is a lady of artistic genius who has put pen, or rather pencil to paper and had two books published – with a third on its way.

Now happily settled in Albir she left her native South Africa back in 1984, with husband and two boys in tow. Spain was a natural choice as her husband Carlos is Spanish, but not wanting her children to forget their homeland she set about writing her autobiography ‘Lollipops of Dust’ – set in colonial Botswana, her birthplace, throughout the 50s and 60s.

The book was about life through a child’s eye, initially for her children and was published in 2011. Prior to that she had a book of poetry published called ‘Africa My Africa’ – a small selection of her works compiled over many years.

Her poems are based on transition and the circles of life, with a recurring theme of death and mortality – yet she is by no means morbid or dejected. In fact, she is very upbeat and spiritual, perhaps something to do with her druid beliefs, a link to her maternal Celtic heritage perhaps.

She entered a competition earlier this year run by Creative Talents Unleashed in California and won a five year publishing contract for her latest book ‘The Last Dance’ – which will be out later this month on Amazon.

Famed French photographer Lili Saatchi has contributed with some of her dramatic pictures – many taken of statues and sculptures captured in cemeteries.

Sue finds writing, especially about death very therapeutic and has a huge archive of poems, some of which she used for this latest book.

Over the years she has also contributed to a number of poetry anthologies, one of which was published in Canada last year with proceeds going to women of domestic abuse.

She hasn’t been back to Botswana since leaving and is uncertain whether to revisit or live off fond memories – often a choice many of us ponder over.