Late last year, we received an e-mail from Gustav Preller, a South African businessman in a previous life who has now turned to writing.  Gustav penned Icarus over Hong Kong and will be introducing his first novel to audiences in Hong Kong next month.

Preller, the grandson of Gustav Preller, one of the originators of the Afrikaans language, was born in Cape Town into a well known South African literary and artistic family. After an international career in business he has now turned his hand to writing.

Icarus over Hong Kongis set in Durban and Hong Kong and relates the story of a fall of an investment banker who lived the high-life in, amongst other, the city that we call home.  In it rookie trader Rorke Summers flies too high. High stakes, high bonuses, high living – in Hong Kong and Macau he is seduced by them all. He is caught up in triangles of passion, betrayal and death. And in the most feared triangle of all: that of the Chinese triads.

Pegasus Publishers has the following in their website:

Icarus Over Hong Kong

by Gustav Preller

Pages: 286

Imprint: Vanguard Press

ISBN: 978184386507 0

Was there no one who could help him? So many people, so orderly out in the sun, but he might as well have been alone deep inside Mrs Song’s alleyway. The blade would find him. He’d lie bleeding in the heat and the man would simply melt away.

Like the mythical young Icarus, rookie trader Rorke Summers flies too high. High stakes, high bonuses, high living – in Hong Kong and Macau he is seduced by them all. He is caught up in triangles of passion, betrayal, and death. And in the triangle most feared in the East: that of the Chinese triads.

All the while, on the trading floor, Rorke has to cope with his unrelenting job under the watchful eye of his boss, Quinn.

Will he find the middle way or will he meet the fate of Icarus? And whom does he choose: Vicky, the girl of his dreams back home, seductive Kristin, or the exotic Ling?

Icarus over Hong Kong moves at a fast pace between the trading floor, the casinos of Macau and the teeming streets of HongKong, exposing the money-driven world of investment banking as well as the dark world which exists beneath Hong Kong’s glittering veneer.

Bruce Fowler of the SA Association in Hong Kong (SAAHK) has kindly arranged for Gustav Preller to introduce his first novel to audiences in Hong Kong, as well as giving a talk about the time he spent in Hong Kong and how it inspired him to write this book.  He will also talk about his transition from a corporate life to the “lonely life” of a writer.

Catch Gustav Preller at The Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) on Friday 25th February 2010

I picked up my copy of Icarus over Hong Kong at Bookazine at the Central Ferry Pier (HK$139.00)  My missus is very into Malcolm Gladwell these days so, as soon as I finish all 4 of his books (Eish!) I will get stuck into Icarus Over Hong Kong.

Belowe.

The South African community in Beijing are organising a Potjiekos Competition! How cool is that?!  Why don’t we Saffas here in Hong Kong have events like this?  Other than the yearly Sevens Dinner and hike/spitbraai, we have precious few community activities that can help to bring the community together.  Having said that, let me put on my parent-of-2-kids-hat and add: precious few activities geared towards South Africans with families in Hong Kong.   

Read all about the Beijing Potjiekos Competition on the Community Forum here.

(Pic source: SA Tours and Travel)

The Scatterlings of Africa Ten-a-side rugby team made their debut at the GFI HKFC Tens in driving rain this morning.  The team was clad in a unique leopard-skin print rugby jersey with a red African-continent motif on the chest.

Scatterlings of Africa warming up in drivng rain (Bob Skinstad in No.2)

Scatterlings of Africa is led by former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad who last played competitive rugby in the SAR during the 1997 Sevens Rugby World Cup, when the Springboks lost to Fiji in a thrilling Cup Final.

In a hard-fought game against the HK Football Club (HKFC) the wet conditions prevented the game from being the spectacle of running rugby that everyone expected, and the South African unfortunately went to 7-5 to the local side.

Bobby Skinstad will be the guest speaker at the SA Association in Hong Kong Sevens Dinner tonight where the Association of expatriates will officially welcome the SA Sevens team to Hong Kong.

I have just learnt that former Springbok player and captain Bob Skinstad will address the SA Association in Hong Kong Sevens Dinner on Wednesday 25 March.  The annual event is held to welcome the Springbok Sevens Side to the SAR.  This post is probably the third one of it’s kind I’ve done on Bob on this blog so far!  You’ll remember:

* Skinstad to speak at Tens Dinner

* Skinstad to spearhead African Challenge

and now he’ll be speaking at the SAAHK Dinner as well.  It will have to be quite a juggling-act though as you will have noticed that the Hong Kong Tens starts on the same day as the SAAHK Dinner (Wednesday March 25) and continues the following day.

You know how rugby players these days are taught to free their hands in a tackle so that they can still pass the ball?  Well, guess who did it FIRST and with ONE hand nogal!?

Just to refresh your memory about last year’s Sevens Dinner (where Kobus Wiese was the speaker) click here to view our album of 110 pictures.

The South African Association in Hong Kong (SAAHK) will once again be hosting the Springbok Sevens Team just before the start of the 2009 edition of the Hong Kong Sevens. More information to follow soon.