Books and writers
Information about the latest books and the people behind them
African Library: A Friend of the Court by M?roki Nd?ng’?
2012-12-14 "Nd?ng’?’s novel is a thriller and a gripping reading experience, but it carries a moral and political charge of unexpected magnitude."
Discoverability and the author
2012-12-07 Writing a great book won’t necessarily turn you into a best-selling author. Tracey McDonald’s goal is to introduce the general public to authors, and authors to the general public.
A Spook’s Progress as optional reading
2012-11-28 "A Spook’s Progress is a memoire, recounting the author’s life from his childhood years on, with special emphasis on his career."
Mackenzie’s Pale Horses atmospheric, thought-provoking fare
2012-11-27 "Pale Horses really starts to hit its stride when De Jong visits the devastation of the “scene of the crime”, only to find that the missing community lived on land expropriated from a white farmer."
Home is where the hurt is: Diane Awerbuck’s Home Remedies
2012-11-07 After finishing Diane Awerbuck’s latest novel, Home Remedies, successor to Gardening at Night, I sat dumbfounded, almost in tears, thinking to myself: How do I describe this evocative novel to someone who loves reading?
Booktown Richmond to relaunch the Athol Fugard Festival
2012-11-05 The Athol Fugard festival is being planned for the first quarter of 2013.
African Library: The Deadly Ambition
2012-10-31 "Anyone who reads novels is aware of the not merely lasting, but seemingly increasing, popularity of the thriller format. In African writing (in English), there have been interesting variations in local incarnations of this genre, some examples of which have been discussed in previous African Library entries."
Sailor: Telemachus's journey
2012-10-29 "The volume negotiates the painful distance (as well as the awkwardly acknowledged moments of connection) between academic, artistic son and utilitarian father, and grapples with the trauma surrounding Jack Wylie’s rapid loss of eyesight, his illness, and, ultimately, his death."
Writing in prison: Ampie Coetzee responds to Helize van Vuuren
2012-10-23 "Breyten's prison writing – Afrikaans poetry, of which little has been translated into English – comprises an anthology of 448 pages! The quality of these verses has been maintained in the more or less 20 books written since then."
Winners of the M-Net Literary Awards 2012 announced
2012-10-23 The winners of the prestigious M-Net Literary Awards were announced at a glorious event at the Hyatt Hotel in Johannesburg on Friday, 19 October. The M-Net Literary Awards are the only fiction awards that honour novels in all eleven South African official languages.
David Attwell and Derek Attridge respond to the reviews of The Cambridge History of South African Literature
2012-10-18 "It is true that the book is produced in English by a global publisher based in the UK, but how else do we tell the story of South Africa’s literatures to as wide a readership as possible?"
Everybody loves the drawings UK illustrator Emily Gravett loves drawing
2012-10-17 From picking strawberries and life on the road to award-winning illustrator – Emily Gravett talks to Naomi Meyer after her recent visit to South Africa.
A state of grace on the Crocodile Flats
2012-10-11 "The people of Crocodile Flats are in dire need of something to lift their spirits – and a vision of pious purity and pure piety by a young girl is just the ticket."
LitNet: Karoo Book | Boek Bonanza
2012-10-11 An exciting line-up of authors and books awaits you at the Karoo Book Bonanza, presented by LitNet, this Sunday in Beaufort West.Hierdie Sondag word daar by die Karoo Boek Bonanza gesels oor ekokritiek, Haai Karoo en die karretjiemense. Aangebied deur LitNet.
Open Book 2012: Constructive Engagement
2012-10-10 At the 2012 Open Book Festival Michela Wrong and Jillian Reilly explored the complexities surrounding writing about Africa as outsiders in a session titled “Constructive Engagement”.
For the love of books: Exclusive Books Boeke Prize 2012 award ceremony
2012-10-04 Photo gallery of the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize 2012 award ceremony, held in Sandton last week.
Boeke Prize 2012: We have a winner
2012-10-03 Exclusive Books announce the winners of the 2012 Boeke Prize!
A national treasure: Imraan Coovadia's The Institute for Taxi Poetry
2012-10-01 Thando Njovane reviews Imraan Coovadia's The Institute for Taxi Poetry and discovers that this novel pioneers a new category of storytelling in South Africa.
Karoo Book | Boek Bonanza at the Second Karoo Development Conference, Beaufort West
2012-09-28 The Karoo Book will take place at the Second Karoo Development Conference in the NG Church hall, Beaufort West, on Sunday the 14th of October. | Die Boek Bonanza van die tweede Karoo-ontwikkelingskonferensie sal op Sondag, 14 Oktober, in die NG-kerksaal, Beaufort-Wes, plaasvind.