Mark Behr

Author of two novels
Associate Professor of World Literature and Fiction Writing at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, USA

Mark Behr was born on the farm Mbuyu in Tanzania, formerly Tanganyika in 1963. With the nationalisation of white-owned farms in East Africa, the Behr family emigrated to South Africa. Mark attended the Drakensberg Boy's Choir Music School and studied at the University of Stellenbosch. He continued his studies in Norway and the United States. He holds Masters degrees in English Literature, International Peace Studies and Fiction Writing from the university of Notre Dame, USA.
The Smell of Apples, taught in universities around the world, has been translated and published in nine languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, German and Portuguese. Behr's work so far has been primarily concerned with issues of race, gender and militarization within contemporary authoritarian cultures. He is currently working on a new novel.
A former Research Fellow at the International Peace Research Institute of Oslo in Norway, Behr has also taught English and International Peace Studies at universities in Africa, Europe and the United States. He is currently an Associate Professor of World Literature and Fiction Writing at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, USA. He travels annually between the US and his home in South Africa.
Hobbies: In July 2005, Mark ran in the Comrades Marathon (Durban - Pietermaritzburg) in South Africa.

He received the Art Seidenbaum Award from the Los Angeles Times in 1997 and the Betty Trask Award from the British Society of Authors in 1996. The Smell of Apples also received the Eugène Marais Prize, the M-Net Award and the CNA Literary Debut Award. His novels have been short-listed for The Guardian Fiction Award, The Steinbeck Award, the Encore Award as well as the Sunday Times Literary Prize.

Met die volgehoue ironisiering is Die reuk van appels op die "wysie" van 'n kindervertelling 'n genadelose afrekening met die apartheidsera. ... En anders as so baie romans van díe aard "wys" Behr se struktuur nie en word ons as lesers nie bewus van 'n manipulasie nie. In laaste instansie is dit die ligte aanslag wat in hierdie boek so bevredigend is.
John Kannemeyer