South African author will speak after book-signing

South African writer Mark Mathabane, the author of the best-selling autobiography Kaffir Boy , will speak at Augusta Preparatory Day School's Hull Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. Monday.

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Mathabane's story of his coming of age under apartheid in South Africa was named to The New York Times and The Washington Post best-seller lists.

A book-signing will be held after the lecture. Kaffir Boy and Mathabane's five other books will be available.

Mathabane spent the first 18 years of his life as the eldest of seven children in a 1-square-mile ghetto that was home to more than 200,000 blacks. In 1978, with the help of 1972 Wimbledon champion Stan Smith, Mathabane left South Africa to attend an American university on scholarship.

He has appeared on numerous TV and radio programs across the country, and his articles have appeared in national magazines and newspapers. He was nominated for 1993 Speaker of the Year by the National Association for Campus Activities.

Monday's lecture is free and open to the public.