You know those books where the characters are always intellectuals and their wives, living their confortable upper-middle class lives, reading books, writing books, discussing Wittgenstein, worrying about God and having themselves psychoanalyzed? Well, this is not that kind of book. Consider it the antidote, the ultimate guide to living life on the wrong side of the tracks. if Beryl Bainbridge was South African and wrote 500-page books.

Set in South Africa at the end of the apartheid era, it is by turns brutal, heartbreaking, endearing, political, and hilarious--you have to be able to laugh at life, something South Africans do very well. One of the first 'adult' books I read that wasn't assigned for school, and it is one I will never forget. Originally written in Afrikaans (I read it in English at the time) there are defintely certain things that just don't translate.25 s Margitte1,188 583

Although the setting is a poor (white trash) family, The Benades, in one of the poorest neighborhoods in South Africa, the story could be regarded as the universal plight of the poorest of the poor in, especially, a capitalistic society. Sociologically it could be justified as a testimony of how a social system worked for all its participants or not. In the Benade family's case neither Apartheid, nor the soon to be Post Apartheid era did anything to drag the family out of the miserable life they were dealt. "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt, the story deals with ordinary people in an economic class that nobody else wishes to acknowledge or accept as part of their reality and Frank McCourt, Marlene van Niekerk uses humor to soften the blows dealt to these people on a daily basis. What is different between the two authors is that Frank McCourt wrote an autobiographical story of his Irish family, while Marlene Van Niekerk visited the community she is writing about, for a few months. She did manage however, to tell a compassionate story and leave the reader with a deep sense of sympathy for the forgotten, often despised poor 'peoples' of the world. The language, almost a dialect, makes it a truly South African, often hilarious, story, but it could well have been any extremely poor family anywhere in America, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Holland, Australia or elsewhere. A brilliant book! It is a very difficult story to swallow for those who cannot handle this kind of poverty and would rather ignore it than mentally address it. If you couldn't stomach "Angela's Ashes" you won't be able to handle this book either. But for everyone else it is a brilliant read that will enrich your perception of life.

Kalahari.com description: Marlene van Niekerk’s multi-award-winning novel Triomf tells the story of the four residents of 127 Martha Street in the then ‘poor white’ suburb of Triomf, built on the ruins of old Sophiatown, once the vibrant and notorious centre of black life in Johannesburg. Set on the eve of South Africa’s transition to democracy, this story of a highly dysfunctional Afrikaans family illustrates the fear and trepidation that was felt about the political changes sweeping the land, and the earnest and sometimes amusing attempts to makes sense of life even under the most abject of circumstances. Triomf relentlessly probes Afrikaner history and politics, revealing the bizarre and tragic effect that apartheid had on the white underclass who should have been its main beneficiaries. Translated from the Afrikaans by Leon de Kock, Triomf was awarded the CNA Literary Award and the M-Net Prize, as well as the prestigious Noma award for best book in Africa. Marlene van Niekerk is also the author of Agaat.afrikaans-south-africa fiction literary-novel ...more11 s Jake Goretzki748 135

Stunning. Imagine Steinbeck taking on an Afrikaaner family - all Biblical violence, incest and poverty. Fold in some Trainspotting-level self-harm and substance abuse. Leaven it all with a soundtrack of crackling, working class comedy and vernacular word play (thank you, translator) - to the extent where at times this reads a classic sitcom or soap (in a good way). It's just so good.

Here's a set of characters that earn our sympathy (despite their outer awfulness) that are just so very well drawn (Treppie is a sort of Satanic tormentor; Lambert is a kind of sweet Frankenstein's monster...probably leading me to those Lenny / Steinbeck memories). And it's set in one of the 20th century's most fascinating transitions, making it such a fascinating touchstone. The NP canvassers and the AWB recruiters; the cultural references...the Klipdrift, Stuyvesants and the Tedelex.

I was all set for a worthy, dust-blown epic of Afrikaaner love and death. This here is bracing, bleak and full of heart. As if to say: this story could have been anyone's. Rig a system in anyone's favour and human flaws and cruelty will still get in the way.20179 s Charmaine Elliott471 4

I must admit to getting in my car and driving up and down the streets of Triomf to view the house where the Benade's live - so real did this family become in the reading. the observer of a hideous car crash, I just wanted to catch a glimpse of these people. The terms 'poor white' and 'white trash' have been bandied about for as long as I can remember. Until this book I must confess that I did not truly understand the breadth, the depth and the horror of these phrases. With a 60 year lifespan in South Africa I was not prepared for this. Surely such people could not exist? Marlene van Niekerk convinced me that they do. I recommended this book to friends and acquaintances and was shocked to discover that some could not read it, that it was too close, that it opened wounds, that it was too realistic, reminded them of their own backgrounds...And I must conclude that the Treppie's live among us in the here and now. Is it any wonder that we are a society that has shaped a Modimole monster? An uncomfortable, essential must-read. A masterpiece crafted by a brilliant author. 8 s Louise46

Brilliant, enthralling... emotionally draining, but excellently written. 5 s Holly Foley (Procida)539 9

This book beats out The Glass Castle as the portrait of the THE MOST dysfunctional family. Easily squeamish should not attempt this novel. It is set in early nineties South Africa which was a very turbulent time period. This extremely poor white family gets crashed on the rocks of the turbulence both from within their family, and within the community. The characters are intricately explored. The dialect is difficult but fascinating (there's a glossary) Beware of intense descriptions of incest and other upsetting turns of events for the Benade family. Read only with extreme patience and caution.adult-fiction3 s Francois Lion-Cachet59 17

Fuck’d up big time. 3 s Magda Fourie FourieAuthor 2 books14

Ek moes lank dink oor wat ek die boek gaan gee. 'n Deel van my wou dit net een ster gee. Maar dis nie regverdig nie. Die skryfwerk is briljant. Die storie is vreemd, ontstellend, kommin, vlak, bar, snaaks, hartseer .... dis waarom ek besluit het op 5 sterre. Omdat dit my besluitloos gelaat het, gedwing het om daaroor te dink en te praat. Want dis wat 'n vyfster boek moet doen om 5 sterre te kry. My laat dink en voel. En Marlene slaag oortuigend hierin.books-20202 s Mandy369 37

TW: sexual assault, incest, physical violence, emotional abuse, alcohol abuse, racism, misogyny, child abuse, murder.

Not for the faint-hearted. I'm very, very glad I finally read this after it languished on my TBR pile for a decade but I need something much lighter next.

Triomf, for the uninitiated, was once a vibrant, cultural hub in Johannesburg. The jazz capital of Jo'burg, the New Orleans of South Africa. It was razed to the ground in February 1955 to make way for a whites-only neighbourhood and, in an act of unspeakable cynicism, the town was renamed Triomf, 'triumph' in Afrikaans.

Triomf is about a poor, white Afrikaans family, of which three are on disability and one is the breadwinner. The family live in fear and anticipation of the changes that will come in April 1994 when the country will vote for change.

I spent 20 years of my life within 10km of Triomf and knew many people the desperately poor Benade family at the heart of this novel. Poor, working class, uneducated and desperate. They were meant to be given a leg-up by the Apartheid regime but became a lasting casualty of it long before Apartheid ended.

I knew people this. Violent, offensive, alcoholic people. There's very little to in this novel and only one redeeming character (Mary, in case you're wondering, maybe Toby the dog, too).

I felt constantly triggered reading this novel. I lived for years in a house where poverty defined us, that notion that if something was lost, broken or damaged, it was never, ever getting replaced, fixed or thrown away. We too struggled from generational poverty, where you're lucky, genuinely so, if you can ever get out.

Relating so deeply to this difficult book, both in my own experiences growing up and in the people I met, is why it gets five out of five stars, I can't recommend this book - if you're interested in the themes raised, give it a go.2 s1 comment David36 4

A bit long for me, but I am not known for my readerly patience. While it evokes SA social awareness and history, it also stretches outward. I think a reader who knows nothing about SA history or politics can appreciate the novel for its insights into "white trash" existence. That's what I d about the book. It's also useful for Freudian thinking: you'll discover some new, twisted triangles in this book.
2 s Maggie38 1 follower

This book was incredibly awful. I was miserable the entire time reading it. If I didn't have to read it for a class, I would have DNFed a couple chapters in. Not a single likable character; they're all terrible and everything they do is terrible. The "plot"/story is meandering and pointless, nothing even really happens, and I'm not at all a fan of her writing style. -2/10 never touching this again. school-f17-to-s182 s Kay1 review

A horrible book. A vast landscape of barrenness. So awful it is difficult to come up with adjectives to fully express the desparate bleakness of this book. Any time spent reading it is completely wasted2 s Karen Eliot1,225 24

Disturbing tale of Seff Effrican po white trash2 s Read By RodKelly206 775

This was definitely one of the most difficult books I've ever picked up...It was so dense and really took quite a bit of time to sort through. It was Faulkner on steroids. But alas, I'm done with it. 1 Alex Goodman28 3

Not exactly sure what I read in this book. Disorienting in a good way. Some of which probably has to do with translation. 1 J83 9

Ek het nou net op Goodreads gekyk wanneer ek Marlene van Niekerk se swartkomedie begin lees het: meer as vier jaar terug. Die boek is só uitputtend dat ek oor die laaste twee weke omtrent al my universiteitsprojekte oorgelê het.

Die Benades is spoories. Die gespuis. Soos 'n apartheid-feniks het hulle uit die as van Sophiatown gerys en die pynlik laer-middelklas woonbuurt verskrik en verstom met hulle kommen, rowwe gedrag. Van Niekerk skrik vir niks in 'Triomf' nie: bloedskande, 'n geneukery, woes rassisme, mens ontlasting...

Die sentrale karakters is Lambert (die groot, heel dom, lelik en vet seun), Mol (die kinder, onkundige, misbruikte ma), Pop (die pa wat aan verwyte ly en besef die dood is staan by die voordeur en wag in 'n volla) en Treppie (die nar, die Shakespearese karakter, die Falstaff, 'n man wie se verwysingsveld sowel yskaste as ook internasionale politiek bestryk). Baie dinge loop verkeerd onder dié uitvaagsels en hulle word gestadig deur die feit van 'n nuwe Suid-Afrika gekonfronteer.

Die boek is sodanig gestruktureerd dat die dénouement in 1994 met die oorwinning van die ANC teen die (wyle) Nasionale Party gepaardgaan. Ek vermoed dis duidelik hoekom dit so moet wees uit 'n allegoriese perspektief - Lambert is 'n kind van die nuwe Suid-Afrika, behalwe hy is g'n kind nie en ook nie almal se kind nie. Nes die nuwe Suid-Afrika nóg kind nóg kind van alle Suid-Afrikaners is. Van Niekerk neem die standpunt van 'n fiksieskrywer in wat behels dat ons geen eenvoudige politieke antwoorde kry nie. Netelige kwessies word uit verskeie perspektiewe bestudeer en dit is uiters ontstellend dat ons maar weinig daaraan oor die jare verander het.

'n Nota oor Van Niekerk se taalgebruik: as jy ENIGSINS Afrikaans kan lees en oorweeg dit om dié roman aan te skaf dan is die oorspronk Afrikaanse publikasie onontbeerlik. Die skryfwerk is seker nie konvensioneel esteties mooi nie, maar dit funksioneer perfek om die lewens van die Benades getrou daar te stel. Koop dit in Afrikaans.

My enigste kritiek is dat die boek korter kon wees.2016 afrikaans lots-of-fun ...more1 Amanda Brinkmann27 11

This book is NOT for the feint-hearted. It conjurs up images of the ' poor, uneducated, whites', that became one of the many legacies of a post-apartheid South Africa. Protected before, simply because of their skin colour, living in a decaying government house, slowly but surely being surrounded by the ' new' black and coloured emerging middle-class, who are upgrading these homes - the central characters of this book, create very real, extremely disturbing, but a very honest picture of this previously protected past.

By times violent, then deeply sad and poignant, surfacing the incestuous relationships that were very much a part of the pre-apartheid era - this is truly one of THE most disturbing, yet vivid and authentic books that I have had the privilege of reading.1 Jeanette Smith22 4

Triomf is a disturbing tale that highlights the hypocrisy of Apartheid in South Africa, albeit from a surprising perspective.

It is about a poor, white Afrikaans family, who the reader does not really want to be acquainted with, but who will trap you in the same sticky web in which they hold each other. Its pleasantly readable prose is one of the reasons for this, but the 'inability to look away from a car crash' syndrome is probably more to blame.

Van Neikerk reveals her characters slowly, putting the reader almost into the perspective of a new family member who will only learn their darkest secrets gradually. By the time you want to leave, you will not be able to put this book down.

This is one story you will never forget - no matter how much you want to.1 Ruth189

Although this is an excellent book I would not recommend it to anyone who is not familiar with South Africa as it is full of local colloquialisms. It is these touches that lend aunthenticity & it would be frustrating for a reader who doesn't know what they refer to, despite a good glossary in the back of the book.1 Heleen228 2

Ik vond het moeilijk om lang achter elkaar te lezen. De familie leeft in zo'n uitzichtloze situatie. Ze kunnen niet anders dan bij elkaar blijven maar doen elkaar zoveel leed aan. Er is mij veel ontgaan van wat er gezegd werd over het oude en nieuwe zuid-afrika. De karakters werden mij in de loop van het boek wel dierbaar.1 Jillian Goldberg172 3

I could not get past the first 20 pages of this incredibly turgid, horrific novel. Perhaps it suffered in translation. I consider myself a reader with a strong stomach but this defeated me.1 Farrah793

I just couldn't get into it. It was a hard book to read - both the subject matter and the writing - and it didn't pay off for me.1 Lauren343 7

I've rarely experienced such dread while reading a book. It's disturbing, harrowing, and (unfortunately) it feels authentic. When I finished, I felt obliged to get a bit drunk. africa1 André2,472 17

Citaat : Wat een ongelooflijke bullshit, zegt hij dan, hoe kunnen mensen zich zo belazeren met muren vol nepparadijs. Maar dat komt ervan, zegt hij, als je een plek als deze, vol prefabwagenwielen en aloë’s, verpest door het puin, een naam geeft als Triomf. Dan denken de mensen dat ze zich de vrijheid kunnen veroorloven zichzelf iets voor te liegen. Kolder natuurlijk, de enige vrijheid die telt is de dichterlijke vrijheid.
Review : Wanneer je Triomf van Marlene van Niekerk gelezen hebt, dan heb je enig idee hoe vierde wereldbewoners leven. In Triomf, een wijk in Johannesburg die in de apartheidsjaren zonder ironie deze naam kreeg, wonen inderdaad alleen blanke losers.
Maar er is meer aan de hand dan de weergave van een asociale wijk. Hier speelt de familie Benade de hoofdrol waarin het vrouwelijke hoofdpersonage Mol door haar twee broers én haar epileptische incestzoon Lambert emotioneel en seksueel wordt misbruikt. Inzicht van goed en kwaad hebben ze over zulke zaken niet. Ze bevinden zich, anno 1994, met zijn allen in een angstpositie omwille van de politieke situatie in Zuid-Afrika.
De familie Benade is zéér racistisch en vreest dat het ANC en daarmee de zwarten aan de macht zullen komen.


Triomf is een goed geschreven maar uiterst grimmig boek waarin de auteurs tot in de finesse haar personages lichamelijk en geestelijk ontleedt. Ik kende de personages zéér goed toen ik het boek uit had en dat wekt nog altijd huiver bij me op. Het is sinds Smeris van Irvin Welsh dat ik nog zo gegruwd heb van literaire personages.

Marlene van Niekerk weet de lezer zo nauw bij haar verhaal te betrekken dat je met angst in het hart afvraagt, wat gaat de uiterst gewelddadige zoon Lambert nu weer uitspoken.


De Benades bevinden zich op de schroothoop van de geschiedenis, met afgedankte ijskasten en de omvallende brievenbus. Door hun levenswijze is contact met de buitenwereld dan ook moeilijk. Ze zijn uitgekotst door de maatschappij, of beter gezegd: uitgepoept, zoals het personage Treppie ons fijnbesnaard (?)als hij is, ons mededeelt.

Porkyhauntus18

It is some 15 years since I read this book yet the scenes are still vivid. I have just started on this year's Booker winner, Shuggy Bain, and its squalour, bigotries, family disfunction and general underclass experiences have conjured up Triomf all these years on. I loved reading that book and the fact that it lives on so strongly in my mind as other excellent books fade from memory gives it a special place and status. The fact that I love this type of book must say a lot about me, whether it sympathy for the family's predicament, empathy with their place in the grand scheme or relief at my own luck, I loved my time with the Benades and I wish them well.
I have to award this book all the stars in the sky and recommend it to readers with a strong constitution and love of rich and colourful and prose.

Carol Ralfe35

This is a very difficult book to rate. I cried, laughed out loud, felt embarrassed, shame for the characters and understanding for the poor white underclass that was South Africa under Apartheid. As a child, we used to drive through Vrededorp on our way to Johannesburg. The sights of the area will forever be etched on my memory.
As for the novel, it brilliantly encapsulates the times and the Poor Afrikaaner. It is just far too long. With judicious feeling, this novel will be nothing short of brilliant. loudaconnoway53

Torn between and 3/4 but went for the 3. The writing is great and a very well thought through story but it was too long for me. There is no relief for the characters in the end and even though I'm by no means a sensitive reader, there was too much swearing. I got the point; they're very low class 'white trash'. It has many universal themes but not completely my cup of tea. Glad I read it (even though it took 3 weeks to struggle through) James KinsleyAuthor 2 books24

There's something magical about the way van Niekerk has created such a nightmarish scenario that still, somehow, makes you grow fond of the Benades. For all their sins, the book is crafted with such sympathy, and with no condescension, that their humanity shines through. The use of language makes it evident she's a poet and the translation deserves applause too.
A tough read in parts, but somehow joyous too. In the darkest of situations, you can still feel some kind of love. Arjanne113 1 follower

So well written, so depressing. Becca Miserlian40 3

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