Litnet

"One of the things I try to teach my students is that words can be a seed or a match, depending on how we use them. They have led to wars, and they have inspired nations."

"There is time and space in the Karoo that you don’t have in a city. In the Karoo, you experience not only a closeness to nature, but a closer coalface experience of society."

For now, love, talk, write, have toast and tea – or bubbly – and live. If you want to explore the wonders of other lives, read.

"Many of us have turned to art for understanding and solace during this time. Art can provide both, on its creative and receiving ends. And perhaps no other art form can capture this wonder as succinctly as poetry."

"Clearly, the longing for such a gathering of writers and readers must have been in the salty air for a long time, and hopefully Books on the Bay can still it every Cape autumn from now on."

The Philida Literary Award is awarded annually to a writer mid-career for an oeuvre of between three to five books of any genre. Here is the announcement of this year’s winner.

"The enthusiasm for the project from the local community, sponsors and writers is palpable. 'The goodwill of the community has been astounding, with the Simon’s Town Civic Association providing the start-up funding,' Attwell told me. And as his co-organiser, Darryl David, mentioned in his CapeTalk interview: 'Book festivals and scenery go hand in hand, and it doesn’t get better than Simon’s Town.'"

"There was something for every literary taste."

"We all have crocodiles to tame. Writing – and living, ageing, dying – does take courage. One day, we will all end up in 'the big library in the sky', to quote Deon Meyer. But before we do, we will continue raging in the service of The Story."

"Watching Ukrainian parents evacuate their children to safety while staying behind to fight for their future breaks my heart. I cannot imagine the levels of anxiety and distress this kind of separation causes for a family. These people will never fully recover from this, even if they survive."

"For the uninitiated, Cosmonauts do it in heaven might feel like an exploration of space itself, seemingly obscure and impenetrable at first, but the poetry is infused with a desire to take the great leap, to reach for the sky and to celebrate its wonders and 'mysteries,/ solved & sensuous' ('First light')."

"What I remember most is the silent communication, between researcher and librarian, between researcher and the past – in my case literary."

"What will stay with me for a long time after reading this multilayered collection is the deep sense of curiosity which runs through A book of friends – it is an expression of care which the authors and artists share with the man they pay tribute to."

"Mzobe is a consummate storyteller, and it is easy to lose oneself in the tales he shares so compellingly. My hope is that we won’t have to wait another decade for his next book to hit our bookshelves and hearts."

"It offers fascinating insight into a dying art – editing – and the industry that is killing it instead of treasuring it for what it can contribute to the wealth of our knowledge and the joys of our entertainment."