“Rian Malan was one of the first younger writers to perceive and write ...” — Damon Galgut Quote

“Rian Malan was one of the first younger writers to perceive and write about a darkness in the South African psyche that goes deeper than mere politics. To some extent, that's my territory, too.”

“I long for a South African society that's free of ideological forces - no society can ever really be free of ideological forces - but I wish it was free of power.”

“Literature at its fullest takes human nature as its theme. That's the kind of writing that interests me.”

“Michael Jackson fundamentally altered the terms of the debate about African American music. Remember, he was a chocolate, cherubic-faced genius with an African American halo. He had an Afro halo. He was a kid who was capable of embodying all of the high possibilities and the deep griefs that besieged the African American psyche.”

“Thanks to aid, a distressing number of African leaders care little about what their citizens want or need - after all it's the reverse of the Boston tea-party - no representation without taxation.”