I can’t keep in mind how I first heard in regards to the late Gus Ferguson, or acquired maintain of his work quantity on the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa in Cape City. I had no concept that he, a pharmacist by profession, was a director there. As an aspiring poet, with two revealed poems and wanting to get a full assortment out, I had assumed the quantity was for the poetry writer Snailpress. This was mid-1993.
Removed from being livid about my calling him at his employer, Gus instantly sounded heat and pleasant. He defined that Snailpress was a small, home-publishing enterprise and that he already had a number of books within the pipeline. Nonetheless, he talked about that he did publish a small poetry journal referred to as Slugnews.
“What information?” I requested him, satisfied I had misheard.
“Slugnews,” he replied, “as in ‘snail’. The slimy stuff you discover within the backyard. Let me ship you a duplicate and you may undergo it. In case you are comfy along with your work showing in there, then be at liberty to ship me poems – not more than 5. It’s a little bit of a maverick affair. You’ll see whenever you obtain it.”
A number of days later I obtained a difficulty of Slugnews, a mix of “poems, graphics, and molluscana”. It had a tough, cut-and-paste really feel and featured poems, drawings and information clippings – a few of them evaluations of Snailpress titles, a few of them about snails.
And so it started: my introduction to the world of Gus Ferguson, South African poet, cartoonist and writer.
Small however encouraging
Our preliminary dialog had already revealed some sterling qualities: a way of humour, which typically could possibly be a bit on the darkish aspect, in addition to generosity and humility. Gus had began Snailpress with the cash he had obtained for a poetry prize, and his first title was by his good friend Sue Clark. By 1993, he had already revealed about 20 titles, together with collections by Walter Saunders, Mzi Mahola, Karen Press, Ken Barris, Jacques Prevert, Keith Gottschalk, Ian Tromp and Tatamkhulu Afrika, amongst others.
Gus used to say that he didn’t have any specific desire in regards to the kind of poetry he revealed – if he preferred it, he would publish it. “You may even ship me a poem about farting on a prepare,” he as soon as advised me. Gus’s personal poetic voice was, in fact, light-hearted, nevertheless it is also philosophical and typically even disquieting.
As promised, Gus revealed a number of of my poems within the subsequent few problems with Slugnews. I felt I used to be on a roll till early the next yr when he introduced he was ending Slugnews. “It’s changing into an excessive amount of,” he stated. He ran all his ventures from his dwelling.
Associated article:
I used to be crestfallen however not for lengthy. Motivated by Gus’ instance, I deliberate to start out a poetry journal. Gus even ran a (free) advert for it within the final situation of Slugnews. As soon as once more, his generosity shone via, despite the fact that it should have been clear to him that my deliberate journal didn’t stand an opportunity of getting off the bottom.
Together with motivation, Gus gave me some tips about the way to take care of poets. “No matter you do,” he warned, “don’t give out your phone quantity, and undoubtedly not your house phone quantity. I’ve been woken up at two within the morning with somebody yelling down the road, ‘Why gained’t you publish my poems?’”
Via his work, Gus demonstrated {that a} publishing press needn’t be a giant operation. Poetry could possibly be revealed merely and cheaply when you have been ready to overlook in regards to the gloss and simply get the work on the market. Roy Blumenthal had already began his Barefoot Press free poetry pamphlets in Johannesburg, and I used to be able to observe. And so Dye Laborious Press was born.
Mentor of potentialities
The mid-Nineteen Nineties noticed a number of poetry publishing ventures seem in South Africa. A few of them have been shiny however others have been easy jobs, with photostatted pages and stapled spines. And whereas not all of them had been influenced by Slugnews, I really feel Gus had helped to create the local weather during which such home-publishing ventures have been doable. On this means, he was a mentor who ushered not solely poetry into the world, but in addition the chances and realisation of small publishing ventures.
In truth, Gus himself couldn’t resist the urge to leap into publishing once more and launched his poetry journal Carapace, which was to run to 104 points. All through its run, Carapace, which appeared in an A5 format with a stapled backbone, revealed an infinite number of poets, together with Mxolisi Nyezwa, Gail Dendy, Finuala Dowling, Arja Salafranca, Stephen Symons, Kerry Hammerton, David wa Maahlamela, Fiona Zerbst, Moira Lovell and Basil du Toit.
There have been additionally some particular editions of Carapace – there was one dedicated to Afrikaans poetry and one other to poetry by Indian girls. And across the similar time, whereas Snailpress titles continued to seem, Gus began Firfield Press.
True to his humble spirit, he allowed me to publish a number of his poems and drawings titled Icarus Rising in 1994. Many of the poems on this choice got here from his first three collections, Snail Morning, Doggerel Day and Carpe Diem, however I additionally included a handful of “new poems”, which had been chosen from two “casual” chapbooks that he had not too long ago revealed: An Alphabet of Small Poems and Willow on Prozac.
Associated article:
And all through the Nineteen Nineties the nice and cozy friendship continued, as did the e book exchanges and phone calls. And Christmas playing cards too. Figuring out my devotion to surrealism, he as soon as despatched me a card wishing me “a surreal Christmas and a dada new yr”. One other time, when he had obtained a duplicate of a small poetry anthology I’d revealed referred to as Electrical Juice, he phoned me and with out even a greeting, stated: “My God, that is lovely! A really lovely manufacturing.”
One other time he advised me: “In publishing, you may by no means please everybody. No matter you do won’t ever be ok. The left wing will assault you and the suitable wing will assault you – you’ll by no means win.”
Totally different worlds
Certainly, regardless of the reward that was so typically deservedly showered on Gus, he was not free from criticism. In any case, all through the turbulent Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties, via the ultimate darkish years of apartheid, Gus had been writing humorous poems in conventional rhyming varieties. Not a phrase stated in regards to the socioeconomic or political atmosphere during which his poetry was being written. It was work that was light-hearted and protected.
In truth, by 2001, despite the fact that Gus had revealed a chapbook of mine, it was clear that we have been in some methods from totally different poetic worlds. Nonetheless, we chatted warmly once we met a number of years later on the launch of his second assortment of cartoons, Ready for Gateau. After which a yr or so after that, he requested me to guest-edit Carapace 54, which might be illustrated with my drawings. Whereas we drifted aside, there was no animosity. Maybe I used to be additionally rising older, extra skilled, and fewer depending on his steering.
However the e book exchanges continued, and till Carapace folded in 2015 I all the time obtained a free copy. By this time, the Snailpress, Firfield Press and Carapace Poets imprints had lengthy ceased. Gus had retired, however most, if not all, of the almost 100 books he had revealed had been completed whereas he was working full-time.
I final despatched him Dye Laborious Press books in 2013, and in 2014 I grew to become editor of New Coin for 3 years. It was throughout these years that I heard Gus was already critically sick with dementia, and for the following few years it was a matter of him having good days and dangerous days.
Gus handed in December 2020. In my editorial for Carapace 54 I had written: “I take my hat off to Gus for persevering with to be an instance to many people all through the years, and hopefully to future dwelling publishers to come back.” And my hat will likely be without end off to him.
