TALKING STORY: THE MAKING OF STRANGE FISH
Milton Schorr presents the story behind the creation of his award-winning debut novel.
“𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺-𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥.” - 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘬, 𝘔𝘤𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵.” 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘫𝘪𝘦, 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘶.
Bookings nationwide: info@pilgrimspressbooks.com
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Born in Cape Town, South Africa, actor and author Milton Schorr moved to the town of St. Helena Bay at the age of 13, spending his high school years there. During that time he learned to fish. Today, 20 years later, he has written a novel describing those experiences.
“Strange Fish is a weaving together of two different experiences in my life,” says Schorr. “The first was years spent fishing the waters of St Helena Bay and Paternoster as a teenager, and the second was an experience of lost love. I combined them both to tell the story of Jono, a lonely fisherman, who one day hooks a miracle, a mermaid story for modern times.”
Schorr has spent 20 years in entertainment. Beginning his career in theatre and thereafter moving to TV and film, as an actor he has appeared in Hollywood movies such as Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, and local productions Die Byl, Project Dina, Die Sentrum, and others.
“I once heard therapy described as simply taking about the truth,” says Schorr. “Writing is certainly therapy for me, since it is the truth of my experience that I’m trying to express.”
“I spent my most impressionable years on the West Coast,” he adds. “The place is in my blood. It’s in the dry bush and cold water of the West Coast that my anchor lies.”
Earlier this year Schorr presented “Talking Story” at various venues throughout the Western and Eastern Cape on a book tour that ended in receiving the award for ‘Best Novel’ at the South African Independent Publishers Awards. In January, ahead of Strange Fish being translated into Afrikaans by famed author Toast Coetzer, Schorr presents “Talking Story” in Paternoster on the West Coast for the first time. Thereafter, he will tour the presentation countrywide.
TALKING STORY: THE MAKING OF STRANGE FISH has been described as:
“𝘗𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.” 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯, 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘶.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵.” 𝘈𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘫𝘪𝘦, 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘶.
“𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺-𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥.” - 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘬, 𝘔𝘤𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳.
Strange Fish is a modern retelling of the mermaid myth, set in the small fishing town of St. Helena Bay where Schorr grew up. Reviews of the novel include:
“𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭.” - 𝘚𝘈 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴
𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 ‘𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭’ - 𝘚𝘈 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴. 𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦.” - 𝘛𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘻𝘦𝘳, 𝘎𝘰! 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘧𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥.
“𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯… 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦.” - 𝘓𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘹, @𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳.
Copies of Strange Fish will be on sale on the night, autographed by the author.
Bookings can be made at info@pilgrimspressbooks.com.
TALKING STORY: TALES OF HITCHHIKING
Milton Schorr presents the stories behind his second novel, A MAN OF THE ROAD, which tells the tale of a little boy who must hitchhike across South Africa to find his mother. He details the experiences he had hitchhiking Southern Africa and the world, as well as how he blended them into a tale of fiction.
Sarie Tydskrif recently did an in-depth article on A Man Of The Road, which you can enjoy by clicking here.
Bookings nationwide: info@pilgrimspressbooks.com
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TALKING STORY: TALES OF HITCHHIKING, is a talk delivered by author Milton Schorr on the roots of his hitchhiking novel A MAN OF THE ROAD, which is based on his three decades’ experience hitchhiking Southern Africa and the world.
In his discussion, he will explain both his love of writing, the real life hitchhiking adventures he had that became the material for his novel, and how he goes about writing an unforgettable story.
Copies of A MAN OF THE ROAD will be on sale on the night, autographed by the author.
Bookings for TALKING STORY: TALES OF HITCHHIKING can be made at info@pilgrimspressbooks.com.
