Litnet

"The main goal of the foundation is to help kids discover – and practise – a love of reading, their work goes far beyond the library."

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is pleased to announce the recipient of the prestigious 2023 UJ Prize for Translation.

"The wheels obviously come off, or we wouldn’t have a story. I won’t give anything away, but trust me when I say that Heyns is a masterful storyteller and the narrative often veers off in quite unexpected directions."

"Death knocked at the door of the writer Simphiwe Nolutshungu. He unfortunately and reluctantly opened it."

"There’s an inherent risk of disharmony in this, but most amazingly the symphony of the book is melodious, and it fluently overlaps in a pleasing manner that doesn’t tax the reader’s concentration powers. I am sure it owes that not only to the writer’s skills, but also to those of the book editor. It is superbly achieved."

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is delighted to present the shortlist for the esteemed 2023 UJ Prize for Translation. This accolade acknowledges the remarkable achievements of translators in the realm of literary translation. UJ received a multitude of entries, each demonstrating remarkable quality, making the process of shortlisting both demanding and rewarding.

"When we created Book Town Richmond, that Obama phrase, 'the audacity of hope', was uppermost in my mind. Because it was sheer audacity to create a Book Town with not a cent to our names. It was sheer audacity to think that writers and bibliophiles would travel nearly 1 000 kilometres to a book festival. And somehow, here we are. Seventeen years later. Against all odds."

"In 1970, the NP scored a massive victory at the polls, but it was a time that government opposition became weakened and the Progressives gained ground. Was it because the newspapers in the Nasionale Pers were conscientising Afrikaners to start accepting change?"

"The exhibition will be open to the public for a number of months."

"In essence, the journey began when he chose to study Afrikaans, which, it must be admitted, was a little strange for an Indian boy in the ’80s."

Kola K is marooned. He is not sure whether he is marooned on an island, a planet or in another dimension outside time and space. To make matters worse, he is suffering from amnesia.

Karen Jennings: "It is through prizes like these that authors across the continent can gain the confidence to tell stories as they wish. The hope is that, with time, such stories will become appreciated across the globe, without first being labelled as an exception or a surprise."

Sihle Khumalo says conversation is important. We need to talk about the difficult things, the hard things, the things that make us uncomfortable. Freek Robinson starts the conversation.

Two highlights of the programme are the launch of Amazwi’s new exhibition on the life and work of literary legend Sindiwe Magona and the launch of the Masifunde Sonke Reading Programme by the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation and Rhodes University.

André Brink tells the story in letters to Anthony Akerman: "But still, I’m going to try my damnedest. For the amended Act, due to come out next year, may be the last nail in our little literary coffin."

"To read Jeffery’s compelling exposé is to realise that, for the past 30 years, the average South African has been a victim of the greatest imaginable confidence trick."

"For me, Open Book was special in a different way. I have been attending literary festivals around the world as a reader for a quarter of a century, as a writer for almost two decades and as a publisher for the past four years, but never before have I felt that I truly embodied all three of these roles simultaneously and so fully at an event."

"The literary controversy by author Elizabeth Gilbert, of the popular book Eat pray love, seems to have passed unnoticed on South Africa’s literary scene ... She delayed its publication indefinitely after receiving flak from Ukraine supporters and citizens."

Threaded throughout is the beautiful complexity and vulnerability of the planet, and the joy and difficulty of making art, as each poem becomes its own vivid testament to the natural world. 

"I couldn’t put this book down. It now resides at my elbow at breakfast, where I can turn to today’s date and read the relevant quote to my wife. It provides space, as the authors say, to step back briefly from taking part in life, and instead to reflect simply for a while on how we all live. The Shakespearean quotes all strike a chord."