Books and writers

Information about the latest books and the people behind them

Video: David Attwell on JM Coetzee and The Life of Writing

Naomi Bruwer Books and writers 2015-05-21

David Attwell's new publication JM Coetzee and the Life of Writing was launched at Clark's Bookshop in Cape Town on Tuesday, 12 May. Finuala Dowling conducted the interview.

Booktown Richmond: The Third Annual JM Coetzee | Athol Fugard Festival

LitNet Books and writers 2015-05-20

Here is the programme to this year's festival, which takes place from the 28th to the 30th of May 2015.

Review: Second Life by SJ Watson

Elsibe Loubser McGuffog Books and writers 2015-05-20

"One could say that this story is about a death in a family and how it  can be a tipping point, the nudge that will unravel the almost well-united  family. But in another breath  it’s correct to say that this is simply a story about lies and deceit, some of  those planned and plotted, and some just silly decisions or inaction."

Breaking the back of neoliberalism: On Goosen’s Oor gemeenskap en plek

Auwais Rafudeen Boeke en skrywers 2015-05-13

"This lyrical, lucid and indeed spiritual meditation on our current condition seeks to challenge the hyper-individualism of our times by restating the centrality of community in cultivating the real self."

Franschhoek Literary Festival 2015: Eight international authors and why you should see them

Karin Schimke Books and writers 2015-05-12

Karin  Schimke looks at who's who in the internationally flavoured programme at this  weekend's Franschhoek Literary Festival.

African Library: Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

Annie Gagiano Books and writers 2015-05-05

"Dust is a major novel – a complex text that takes on a huge topic: no less than nearly five decades of Kenya’s fraught history, linked to the experiences of a core of characters who are either members of, or whose stories are entangled with, an unusual family from the dry, far north of Kenya."

Is Afrikaans Literature a World Literature? New Notes on an Old Field

Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Leon de Kock 2015-04-09 "'A world literature' ... gets us asking a really hard question: What are the standards by which a set group of texts or writers – not the one, but also not the many – can be said to be 'of the world', or of a world standard?"

The Man Booker International Prize 2015: Finalists' list announced

2015-03-24 The finalists for the Man Booker International Prize 2015 include South African author Marlene van Niekerk. Here is a list of all ten finalists and more information about the prize.

Review: The Space Between the Space Between by John Hunt

Liam Kruger 2015-03-24 "On the one hand this emphasis of presence counts for the novel’s not unremarkable sense of immediacy; I read the thing in two sittings, and not unhappily."

Workshop: "Disturbing the 'normalized quiet of unseen power': Alternative ways of representing violence"

2015-03-24 We hereby invite you to an interdisciplinary workshop, “Disturbing the ‘normalized quiet of unseen power’: Alternative ways of representing violence”, hosted by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Stellenbosch University. Dates: 31 March to 2 April 2015.

Review: War and Society by Albert Grundlingh

François Verster 2015-03-23 Francois Verster on Albert Grundlingh's book on black remembrance: "A sliver of history brought to light."

African Library: The Naked Gods by Chukwuemeka Ike

Annie Gagiano 2015-03-03 "A prize-winning author in his country of origin and also king of an Aro town in Eastern Nigeria, Ike is an alumnus of Ibadan University and his writing has a sophisticated satirical edge."

South African Independent Publishers Awards 2015

Darryl David 2015-02-25 Booktown Richmond is proud to announce another first: awards that recognise excellence in the burgeoning field of self-published books in South Africa. Self-published books in both English and Afrikaans are eligible for entry.

Ten questions: Stacy Hardy on Because The Night

Stacy Hardy, Naomi Meyer 2015-02-20 "I think all writers have a responsibility to provoke the imagination, to open up new worlds and other spaces and places. It seems to me that this has acquired a new urgency in our global, capitalist world, where the imagination is really under attack."

Ten questions: Martin Sehlapelo on A Peek Inside a Political Prisoner's Heart

Martin Sehlapelo, Naomi Meyer 2015-02-18 "I will never forget my trip to the island. There was a small round window which allowed a little bit of light and from where I could see the changing colours of the waters which were now covering the glass as the ship was sailing towards the island. From my perspective, we were under the sea, I felt like I was going to drown and die."

Review: An Imperfect Blessing by Nadia Davids

Jonathan Amid 2015-02-16 "Davids is unafraid to tackle hefty questions that refuse arbitrary answers: How does transformation and transition take place? Who gets to determine the course and character of relationships?"

André Brink: Impressions / Afterthoughts

Ludo Teeuwen In memoriam 2015-02-10

After André Brink had received an honorary doctorate and delivered a speech at UCL he made one final public appearance. On Thursday, 5 February he was interviewed by Ludo Teeuwen at Bozar in Belgium. This interview (including photos) was the last time he appeared in front of an audience in his life.

Photos of André Brink's last public performance

LitNet Books and writers 2015-02-10

After André Brink had received an honorary doctorate and delivered a speech at UCL he made one final public appearance. On Thursday, 5 February he was interviewed by Ludo Teeuwen at Bozar in Belgium. This interview was the last time he appeared in front of an audience in his life. Here are photos of this final interview.

In Memoriam: André Brink

Carole Blake 2015-02-09 "Meeting him gave me a dear friend. Losing him is painful. Something I share with so many. Raising a glass to you now in London, dear André, friend for 41 years."

André Brink's speech at the Université catholique de Louvain

2015-02-07 The last speech of André Brink can be heard here.
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