Gripping South African novel poised for TV series

TALI FEINBERG

Butchins, who lives in Israel, and Main Man Films of Denver, Colorado, have signed an agreement to collaborate in the development of a television series based on Butchins’ novel.

The book is based on Butchins’ harrowing true-life experiences. These included being an anti-apartheid journalist in the 1970s and 1980s, and losing two family members in the Dizengoff Center suicide bombing in the 1990s. The latter occurred soon after he made aliyah.

“I’m part of a forum for writers, producers, screenwriters, and people in the media industry. I was approached by Art Thomas, a producer and media consultant in Colorado, who said my book has real potential to be turned into a TV series or film.”

Thomas is currently pitching it to various players in the industry. “Larry’s story is gripping and poignant. Events based on his personal experiences in the robust world of newsroom journalism make for an action‐packed drama. It specifically raises issues that have generally received very little attention, namely the role of white victims of apartheid,” says Thomas.

“This is our first collaboration with a writer from Israel, which is fast becoming a source of internationally‐acclaimed TV series and movies. I’m excited to collaborate on this project, and help identify the talents necessary to put Train in the Distance in front of audiences everywhere.”

Butchins says it will be a while until we see the series on our screens as it is a huge project, “almost like building a city. We need to build the foundations, and get the funding, but we are positive that we will get there.”

Butchins describes the story as action genre, based on reality and readers have described it as addictive. “It’s a fictionalised version of my experiences as a journalist in South Africa at the Natal Mercury and Sunday Tribune. Many of the characters are based on real people in history, like Ahmed Timol, the activist who was pushed out the window while in prison. Many characters are an amalgamation of a number of people.

“The first section is called ‘Years of struggle’, and the second section covers real events like the capture of Saddam Hussein and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. After the Dizengoff Center suicide bombing, it becomes a story of the main character being out for revenge.”

Butchins’ mother-in-law, Sylvia Bernstein (74), and his sister-in-law, Gail Belkin (48), were killed in the Dizengoff Center suicide bombing. On 4 March 1996, a bomber detonated his explosive belt on the fourth white stripe of the zebra crossing at the intersection of King George and Dizengoff Streets in downtown Tel Aviv.

Gail was born in Zimbabwe, and made aliyah from Durban in 1987. Her elder daughter was due to be married in two weeks, and on that day, she had accompanied her to fit her wedding dress. Gail had remarried a year before the tragedy. Sylvia was born in Lithuania, and emigrated to South Africa and then Zimbabwe as a young girl. In her later years, she lived in Johannesburg, where she worked for the Union of Jewish Women. She made aliyah in 1994, and lived with her younger daughter in Hod Hasharon.

Thirteen people were killed in total, including five children. It was the eve of Purim, and the youngsters had come to Tel Aviv to celebrate the holiday.

Butchins says the unfathomable loss shaped the life of himself and his wife, Marlyn, who has created a memorial quilt in honour of the victims.

“It’s one of those flattening, shattering life events that leaves you completely bereft and totally at a loss to understand. Even 23 years later, it’s still with us every single day. But it also gave us perspective, and we have always been against violence.

“In spite of the fact that it obviously deeply affected us all, we never put any limitations or restrictions on our kids. We never said, ‘Don’t go to Tel Aviv. Don’t come home late.’ That’s not to say that we weren’t often sitting with our hearts in our mouths at 02:00, waiting for them to come home.”

For those who want to write a book, Butchins’ advice is to, “Just start. It’s probably the loneliest thing you can do as you are baring your soul to the world. The most important thing for any type of book is to make sure that everything is credible. Everything you write must move the story forward. As Robert Frost said, ‘No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader; no surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.’ In other words, writing is organic. It should never be mechanical; it must come from the deepest level of emotion if it’s to have any impact.”