Q&A with Peter Piegl and Sean Newman, Authors of Glenn Agliotti

This entry was posted on 12 June 2013.
Peter Piegl and Sean Newman tell us about the Glenn Agliotti biography.

After writing Lolly Jackson: When Fantasy Becomes Reality, what made you decide to turn your attention to the infamous Glenn Agliotti as the subject for your next book?

Glenn has been an interesting character for us, as we vividly remember watching his court appearances on TV as they were unfolding. Like Lolly Jackson, he's a person who polarises opinion - and there's no shortage of conjecture when it comes to him. Glenn has crossed the line in terms of the legality (or lack thereof) of some of his business dealings. The question we need to ask though is: does this fact alone exclude him from fair treatment by government and the legal system? Surely the law should be applied to everyone equally, irrespective of previous convictions or indictments. Our job as authors is to bring across these contentious issues and try to promulgate fairness. And the same can be applied to Glenn's indiscretions: we don't whitewash his actions or try to condone them. We report facts for which there's a public appetite.

What were your respective roles in the process and why did you split the workload this way?

Peter: I conducted the one-on-one interviews with Glenn while Sean had the daunting job of wading through reams of court transcripts, documents and judgements.

Sean: The reason why we split the responsibilities up in this manner is because Peter has a degree in psychology and enjoys the personal aspect and delving into people's personalities. I, on the other hand, have a strong knowledge of South African politics and news, and prefer being analytical.

Was Glenn on board with this project from the beginning?

Yes, he was. Having said that though, it’s a process involving winning a subject's trust. We had to revisit certain topics on more than one occasion to get Glenn to open up and give us the full extent of detail we were after.

Some may be concerned that this book will focus on Glenn’s perspective, rather than giving the whole story. What would be your response to this?

While this book is a biographical piece, we've gone to great lengths to remain objective. We've compared Glenn's version of events with what was reported in the press, in order to offer the public a holistic view. Glenn was also informed from the outset that there would be information in the book that wouldn't place him in a glowing light. He accepts that he's done wrong and has made poor decisions in the past, but embraces this and is happy to have our book reflect all aspects.

Following on to the last question, what do you hope that readers will get out of this book?

We would like readers to come to an informed opinion on Glenn and the cases in which he was involved. We're not attempting to change people's assessment of him. During our research, we found that there were factual inaccuracies reported by the media, and would like this work to be the definitive work on the matter. Also, our book offers another perspective on highly publicised matters such as the Brett Kebble case, which dovetails into existing literature but offers unique insight from someone who was intimately involved, but who to date, hasn't been interviewed on the matter.

What were some of the most enjoyable and some of the most difficult parts of researching and writing this book?

The most enjoyable aspect was unraveling the myth surrounding Glenn and the cases he was a part of. It’s given us a better understanding and highlighted some of the indiscretions of the judicial system, which can have a massive, debilitating effect on those caught in the sights of people with hidden agendas. The toughest element was rifling through the sheer volume of information and deciding what was worth including. It was also a challenge to present these facts in a format that's easily consumable and clear, while maintaining a narrative that will keep readers intrigued.

Please could you each share one thing that you found out about Glenn Agliotti during the writing of this book that surprised you?

Peter: For me, I think realising that a lot of Glenn's motivation comes from a deep-seated need to please and impress people was somewhat surprising.

Sean: I think the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that he is so personable and charming yet you know deep down it is all for show. At our very first meeting about the book he posed for photos with a gentleman that had actually played Brett in an upcoming movie, he seemed to thrive on the attention. Even with my own family it was amazing to watch him interact and gain confidence purely by laying on the charm. You truly begin to understand how he got himself into the situations that led to him being fingered as a far bigger role player than in fact he really was.

What’s next?

We are contracted in to our wonderful publishers, Penguin, for another book. This will be our focus going forward and the goal is to produce accurate, engaging work that's constantly improving and distinctively different. We're also very excited with the exposure we've had to international authors and are hopeful that this will open up other avenues for us. Glenn's book has the unique distinction of receiving a blurb from world-renowned author Jeffrey Deaver. To our knowledge, no South African work in this genre has had this before and we're honoured that Mr. Deaver has enjoyed our work to the degree that he's willing to endorse it.


Peter Piegl is a 16-year media veteran who’s held key positions on international men’s magazine titles. He is the founder of Piegl Publishing and his education in psychology keeps him intrigued in the intricacies of human nature. Follow Peter on Twitter.

Sean Newman was the marketing power behind the Teazer’s brand. Now a business owner and entrepreneur, Newman’s encyclopedic knowledge of news and politics have seen him successfully explore his passion for writing about South Africa’s most talked-about personalities. Follow Sean on Twitter.

You can also follow the subject of the book, Glenn Agliotti, on Twitter and join in the conversation using the hashtag #Agliotti.

Find out more about Glenn Agliotti.

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