The Dao of Daniel

Daan van der Walt, a Latin-quoting, God-fearing former Kalahari farmer, visits his estranged son in China for the first time. When he has a vertigo attack soon after his arrival, his son drops him off at a Buddhist monastery. Under the guidance of Master Yang, an obstreperous Daan is made to practice Tai Chi to recover his balance, both physically and spiritually. He soon finds himself on a difficult path (the Dao of the title) to come to terms with his feelings of remorse and guilt.

He sets out to write his Historia, or confessions, in the form of letters to his deceased wife and imaginary observations to his beloved dog. An unusual, often very funny, novel whose fields of reference include Roman and Greek mythology, Christian theology, Chinese history and Daoism. An astounding debut by an octogenarian author; translated by Michiel Heyns.