Books and writers
Information about the latest books and the people behind them
Best reads of the year 2011
2012-01-18 Janet van Eeden picks the ten most memorable books that made an appearance on her bedside table last year
McIntosh Polela in conversation with Janet van Eeden about his memoir My Father, My Monster
2012-01-18 Janet van Eeden reads My Father, My Monster and speaks to author McIntosh Polela about the past, the present and his future literary projects
Oepse Daisy recommended for those with itchy feet
2012-01-16 This new collection of 27 travel sketches takes us on a journey around the globe with master raconteur Johan Bakkes.
Sculpting the Earth eye-catching and soothing
2012-01-13 Jenna Burchell reads Strijdom van der Merwe's new book, Sculpting the Earth
Pharos Giveaway: Winner announced
2012-01-09 If you in your everyday life deal with a lot of writing (be it scripts, letters, poems or grocery lists) you should definitely read on.
Triumph of the Pennywhistle: Occasionally stirring but entirely overwrought debut
2011-12-15 While I was reading Sofi Adelbrand’s debut novel Triumph of the Pennywhistle(the author’s real name is Runa Prinsloo) a few questions relentlessly battered against the hinges of my reading experience: Is there a limit to the ways that certain stories can be ...
Occasions in demand
2011-12-15 The huge number of varieties and ingredients on supermarket shelves has changed our eating habits. Fresh salads, herbs and vegetables jostle for space with many local and exotic ingredients. Dishes that appear on our family tables and when we entertain ...
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives tackles contemporary African culture
2011-12-15 With a plot as complex as the one deployed here, one needs to keep one’s wits about one as the secrets alluded to in the title gradually unfold or are suddenly exposed to the reader and to one or other of the characters.
The Boers in Angola: There for even longer than you thought
2011-12-14 The author’s close interest in the lives of the Angolan Afrikaners has resulted in a detailed, scholarly and yet very readable history that recreates a tough and mostly messy rural world.
Reclaiming the L-Word: Piercing the Solid Silence
2011-12-08When I was first asked to review Reclaiming the L-Word I viewed the task with a little trepidation. What could I, a straight, middle-class, white woman, bring to the table, reading about struggles that I cannot even conceive of, in contexts completely foreign ...
Joanne Hichens, author of Divine Justice, in conversation with Janet van Eeden
2011-12-08 In Divine Justice, Hichens leaps solo into a story of bizarre characters, tensely twisted plots, chilling hatred and a denouement to die for.
Things I Thought I Knew: Lyrical and gripping sophomore effort from Kathryn White
2011-12-01 Having read this stunning new novel in one sitting I am willing to wager a large amount on the fact that White’s novel will go some distance in establishing her as a compelling new voice on the South African literary scene.
Reader’s Review: Inspiration and the Inner Wolf: Women Who Run With The Wolves
2011-11-30 It’s only once in a lifetime that you come across a book that really makes sense to you as a woman and inspires you utterly. Clarissa Pinkola Estés’s novel Women Who Run With The Wolves does just this.
Book snaps for Christmas Shopping
2011-11-24 A pile of books landed on my desk recently which would fall into the category of good reads and great Christmas presents. I’ve done a quick snapshot of each one to whet your appetite for the Christmas shopping season.
Nothing but David Kramer, an interview
2011-11-23 The name David Kramer is as well-known as Sunlight liquid – people use this name all the time. But do we really know this man behind the familiar bike and the red shoes? The book David Kramer: A Biography has just been launched in Cape Town.
The other Booker Prize: Sonderlinge verhale vanuit die rand van ons gesigsveld
2011-11-16 Azila Reisenberger het in ’n Hebreeuse huisgesin in Israel grootgeword, as jong vrou die wêreld deurreis, en haar later saam met haar Duitse man in Kaapstad gevestig. So pas het van hierdie merkwaardige vrou ’n tipe “vermomde outobiografie” verskyn met ...
Light and After: From the mind of a sensitive poet
2011-11-15 Kobus Moolman’s Light and After is his fifth collection of poetry. Lyrically evocative and engaging, this collection reintroduces readers familiar with Moolman’s poetry to his confident lines, unique images, memorable language and impressive narrative ...