Out, Out, Brief Candle!

Out, Out, Brief Candle! is the remarkable story of African children who have survived terrible fires and gone on to thrive at Children of Fire, a charity based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Martin Klammer recalls his time helping the children develop their personal writing and rehearse and perform Macbeth. Told with affection and humor, Out, Out, Brief Candle! is an inspiring story of an exceptional African ""family.""

The South African novelist and children's writer Sindiwe Magona says of Out, Out, Brief Candle!: ""This is a brave book. The 'voices' of these tender survivors of fire--their struggles, their fortitude--may bring us nearer to becoming more effective in minding the children given to us as a trust. Martin Klammer has brought the unheard cries of those whose lives have been forever altered by the scourge of fire to our ears and eyes. Are we listening? Do we see?""

""This book is full of joy and hope. The children's stories tell how their deep faith and the tough love of the charity's leader brought them to happiness and wholeness despite suffering terrible burns. Reading about their extraordinary enactment of Macbeth, led by Martin Klammer, brought a smile to my face. As a doctor who worked in Lesotho and with strong links with South Africa, I loved this book.""
--Dr. Mary Hepden, Member of the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom


""Martin Klammer begins Out, Out Brief Candle by saying 'I wanted to know how burned children could be so happy.' He learned a great deal more--about love, perseverance, and the blessing of working with children who have suffered greatly and rejoice even greater. Klammer does not ask us to feel pity for children who have often been rejected. Rather, he invites us to witness their humanity, and through that witness, become more human ourselves.""
--Patrick Cabello Hansel, Pastor, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, San Pablo

Martin Klammer is Professor of Africana Studies and English at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and has also taught at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Whitman, Slavery, and the Emergence of Leaves of Grass and co-author with Blanche La Guma of her memoir, In the Dark with My Dress on Fire: My Life in Cape Town, London, Havana, and Home Again.