Published in South Africa by:

      Wits University Press

      1 Jan Smuts Avenue

      Johannesburg 2001

       www.witspress.co.za

      Copyright © Jonathan Cane 2019

      Published edition © Wits University Press 2019

      Images and figures © Copyright holders

      Cover artwork: David Goldblatt, Saturday afternoon in Sunward Park, Boksburg,

      April 1979. Courtesy David Goldblatt Legacy Trust and Goodman Gallery,

      © David Goldblatt Legacy Trust

      First published 2019

      http://dx.doi.org.10.18772/12019073108

      978-1-77614-310-8 (Paperback)

      978-1-77614-311-5 (Web PDF)

      978-1-77614-312-2 (EPUB)

      978-1-77614-313-9 (Mobi)

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act, Act 98 of 1978.

      All images remain the property of the copyright holders. The publishers gratefully acknowledge the publishers, institutions and individuals referenced in captions for the use of images. Every effort has been made to locate the original copyright holders of the images reproduced here; please contact Wits University Press in case of any omissions or errors.

      Project manager: Lisa Compton

      Copyeditor: Alison Lockhart

      Proofreader: Lisa Compton

      Indexer: Sanet le Roux

      Cover design: Jonathan Cane

      Typesetter: Newgen

      Typeset in 10.5 point Plantin

       To Gerrit, who taught me to write, and to André, who was patient

       The front lawn lay spread like a huge welcome mat, inviting me into the nooks and crannies of their private spaces. But I was afraid …

       — Ivan Vladislavić, Flashback Hotel: Early Stories

       I envisioned all sorts of dramatic deaths: a woman strangling herself to death after being overwhelmed by hot flashes in one of the kerosene lamp-lit tunnels of the asylum; another one drowning in her night sweat; a man standing for hours on end against the wall in another tunnel masturbating himself to death; men and women writhing on the sprawling lawns dying from melancholia.

       — Zakes Mda, Cion

       CONTENTS

       List of Plates

       Acknowledgements

       Author’s Note

       Introduction: The Lawn is Singing

       1The Lawn Discourse

       2Keeping the Lawn

       3Planning the Modern Lawn

       4No Fucking up/on the Lawn

       Conclusion: Saddening the Green

       Notes

       References

       Index