The Karman Line

Meet me where boundaries are challenged, revolution seems inevitable, and words have the power to change everything. They do - don't they?

About the book

Where is The Karman Line?

The Karman Line is the official boundary between earth and space. It's where our atmosphere ends and space begins - the precise moment when an objects become weightless in space - and there's no international agreement over where it exists.

In fact, because Earth's atmosphere is not solid, the Karman Line is not a single point or line in space. It's open to interpretation - and how many boundaries are only defined because we accept that they are where we've been told they are? How many are not even real?

 

When did Apartheid start?

Apartheid, the system of institutionalised racial segregation that defined South Africa for much of the 20th century, did not emerge in a vacuum. This blog outlines the key events leading to Apartheid, emphasising the role of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) and Afrikaner nationalism.

I was born in Johannesburg, when Apartheid was already in place. Like many people with a similar ‘classification,’ I can’t say I really noticed - because if history has taught us anything, it’s that human beings can normalise any atrocity.

 

Between Nationalism and Oppression

The boundary between nationalism - pride in who you and your people are - and prejudice that shows up as disdain and abuse of other people is wafer-thin. The other side of history is full of excuses, but we do seem to keep revisiting the same deadly patterns on ourselves - and on each other.

Apartheid did not begin with Malan's national party. The origins of oppression are more subtle than that. They began decades earlier, in secrets, silence and a burning rage at an old Afrikaner war wound.

 

Own The Karman Line today

“Reading The Karman Line Novel was a transformative experience. The story stayed with me long after I finished the last page, leaving me questioning the limits we place on ourselves. Highly recommend!”

Thomas Norley, Kobo

Contact Clyve

Clyve is available for readings, both in person and virtually, and for speaking engagements to do with reading history, writing it, researching it, and living it.

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The past is prologue

The Karman Line is a novel set in the Transvaal. It explores the rise of the apartheid regime, and its impact on a mixed group of people with much to hide - from themselves, each other, and - most deadly of all - from the apartheid state.

History can be a brutal teacher.