Knot of Stone
Encyclopedia
Knot of Stone: the day that changed South Africa’s history is a 2011 intellectual mystery novel written by South African/Dutch author Nicolaas Vergunst
.
was called the Portal to the Indies, the Viceroy of Portuguese India
was led ashore, slain and hurriedly buried. The murder of Dom Francisco de Almeida
has invariably been blamed on the Khoikhoi
. Based on new research, Vergunst offers a different account of the murder.
Knot of Stone is a tale of historical detection in which a Dutch historian, Sonja Haas, and an Afrikaans
archaeologist, Jason Tomas, find themselves drawn together after discovering a five-century-old skeleton at the foot of Table Mountain
. Their search for new evidence leads the reader north to ancestral burial sites, remote mountain sanctuaries, sacred springs, medieval monasteries and rare museum artefacts. Via various roadside encounters, including the startling revelations of a sangoma
(a healer empowered by the ancestors), they reconstruct the past and their own identities, with divergent consequences.
Knot of Stone's timely revision of actual events departs significantly from mainstream historical writing, both in and beyond South Africa. With its mixture of legend and original research, plus the karmic background of various historical individuals, this novel falls between the works of Umberto Eco
and Dan Brown
.
Knot of Stone has been published in the United Kingdom
and the United States
in 2011 by Arena Books.
Nicolaas Vergunst
Nicolaas Maartin Vergunst has been an artist, teacher, designer, curator and journalist. He is best known as the author of Knot of Stone: the day that changed South Africa’s history.- Biography :...
.
Plot summary
In 1510, when the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
was called the Portal to the Indies, the Viceroy of Portuguese India
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
was led ashore, slain and hurriedly buried. The murder of Dom Francisco de Almeida
Francisco de Almeida
Dom Francisco de Almeida , also known as "the Great Dom Francisco" , was a Portuguese nobleman, soldier and explorer. He distinguished himself as a counsellor to King John II of Portugal and later in the wars against the Moors and in the conquest of Granada in 1492...
has invariably been blamed on the Khoikhoi
Khoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
. Based on new research, Vergunst offers a different account of the murder.
Knot of Stone is a tale of historical detection in which a Dutch historian, Sonja Haas, and an Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
archaeologist, Jason Tomas, find themselves drawn together after discovering a five-century-old skeleton at the foot of Table Mountain
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa, and is featured in the flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top...
. Their search for new evidence leads the reader north to ancestral burial sites, remote mountain sanctuaries, sacred springs, medieval monasteries and rare museum artefacts. Via various roadside encounters, including the startling revelations of a sangoma
Sangoma
A sangoma is a practitioner of herbal medicine, divination and counselling in traditional Nguni societies of Southern Africa .The philosophy is based on a belief in ancestral spirits...
(a healer empowered by the ancestors), they reconstruct the past and their own identities, with divergent consequences.
Knot of Stone's timely revision of actual events departs significantly from mainstream historical writing, both in and beyond South Africa. With its mixture of legend and original research, plus the karmic background of various historical individuals, this novel falls between the works of Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
and Dan Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
.
Knot of Stone has been published in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2011 by Arena Books.