Face Value is a 1983 anthology of collected journalism by South African journalist Jani Allan. The book is compiled from selections of Allan's successful gossip and popular culture column Just Jani that appeared in the Sunday Times. She was voted "the most admired person in South Africa." in a Gallup poll commissioned by the newspaper.Abstracts Weekly Mail. 1992 The book was published by Longstreet publishers in Cape Town and released in South Africa in 1983.
Synopsis The book is a selection of interviews and photographs of public figures from various fields such as entertainment, sport, business, art and politics. Allan also contributed a column-style introduction to each chapter. Andrzej Sawa provided the photographs of the interviewees. Andrezej Sawa Nikon Professional Services.
Five of the interviewees (Sol Kerzner, Danie Craven, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Walter Battiss and Taubie Kushlick) were featured in the They shaped our century survey, a top 100 list published about which people had the greatest influence on South Africa during the twentieth century. Sunday Times editor, Tertius Myburgh wrote a foreword for the collection.
Author's note "I do not think that for one moment that in a brief interview I can write an accurate-every-time character-revealing piece. But my aim has always been to convey as honestly as I can my first impressions on Face Value, with no 'Ums', 'Ers' or retakes."
Reception The book received favourable reviews;
"She soon developed a highly individual style and the Jani Allan column, one of the most successful features in Africa's biggest newspaper, followed. She's become a formidable journalist...There's a touch of Tom Wolfe's 'new journalism' about her writing, but it is never contrived. In her choice of subjects she's attracted by what she calls 'the boquet of money' and she's good on those ubiquitous creatures of our time, the 'celebrities', whom she is able to send up without the bitchiness which tends to put me off some lady writers of the adversary school of journalism. When she's touched by something - an individual, a cause, or some little act of valour - her writing reflects immense warmth and humanity." Tertius Myburgh, Editor of the Sunday Times
"Your piece on me acted like a bicycle pump and I mooned around for ages, smiling foolishly and cannoning off the walls. [sic]" Frank Muir
"The only girl who ever knocked me out" Mike Weaver
"Guy Fawkes couldn't brighten up Sunday better." Graham Bell
"She is not destructive - but she does have a particular facility for puncturing pomposity" Joe Sutton
Contents
THE PERPETUAL SPECTACLES 9 Taubie Kushlick 11 Joan Brickhill & Louis BurkeLouis Bruke Film Database-CITWF 13 Moira Lister 17 Diane Todd 19
BUSINESS MORE THAN USUAL 21 Sol Kerzner 22 Benny GoldbergBenny Goldberg: Owner of world’s largest liquor supermarket Sunday Times. 26 August 2007 26 Mike Illion 29 Tony FactorMr Anthony "Tony" FACTOR News24-Who's Who 33
NATIONAL MONUMENTS 37 Dr Daniel Hartman Craven 29 Jamie Uys 41 Siegfried Mynhardt 44 Patrick Mynhardt 47 Joe StewardsonJoe Stewardson IMDB 51 Sonja Herholdt 53
PRETTY BOYS ALL IN A ROW 57 Richard LoringRichard LORING News24-Who's Who 58 Karl KikillusKarl Kikillus Discogs 60 James Ryan 62
FUNNY YOU SHOULD SAY THAT ... 67 Tobie Cronje News24-Who's Who 69 Robert Kirby 70 Katinka HeynsMrs Katinka HEYNS News24-Who's Who 72 Pieter-Dirk Uys 75
SPORTING CHANCERS 79 Naas Botha 80 Raymond Rhodes 83 Wynand Classen 85
OLD MASTERS, YOUNG IDEAS 89 Walter Battiss 90 Gordon VorsterGordon Vorster Art Net 93 Tretchikoff 95
MIXED METAPHORS 101 John Brett Cohen 103 The Hell's Angels 105 Alvon CollinsonMr Alvon COLLISON News24-Who's Who 109 Gunter BrözelCAPE WINE MASTERS AWARDS DINNER AT MEERENDAL 6 May 2006 111 Robert Van Tonder 114 Carole CharlewoodInventory: The Carol Charlewood Collection 1984 to 1997 University of the Witwatersrand 118
Dictionary Her Just Jani column has been referenced extensively by South African English dictionaries because of Allan's popular use of terms such as jorl, smaak and larney .
References