Litnet

"To top it all, Khayelitsha Fashion Week gave me the courage to walk the runway without my crutches! Draped in the beautiful designs of the highly talented local creatives!"

"What we ask of literary prizes is not infallibility, but integrity, imagination and boldness. A prize should strive to be as fearless and far-reaching as the fiction it celebrates."

Journey across epic China – through millennia of early innovation to modern dominance in one riveting, fast-paced read. From ancient times to Xi Jinping, Covid-19 and the “wolf warriors”, here is the vast, complex history of China, distilled into just 250 pages. Jaivin dismantles the idea of a monolithic China, revealing instead a nation of startling diversity. And she gives China’s women, from ancient warriors, inventors and rebels to their 21st-century counterparts, long overdue attention.

"The arts and money have a peculiar relationship. People too often think they don’t 'need' the arts, forgetting the role it plays in social cohesion and the building of a nation."

"And as a nation, there was no prosthesis for the amputated soul of South African cricket before that majestic hundred by Aiden Markram. And that unforgettable partnership with a hobbled Temba Bavuma..."

"But frankly, I crave the meanness and bitterness of a metropolis perched on a dry ridge overlooking Africa’s greatest financial slum."

"This inquest was graced with about 20 lawyers, all presumably paid by the State. Their weekly costs must add up to more than the total compensation paid to the widows."

Ismail Joosub is the manager of Constitutional Advancement at the FW de Klerk Foundation. He tells Freek Robinson that BBBEE has created 100 extremely rich individuals in South Africa, but has done little to nothing for the poor. What, then, are the alternatives?

Nothing is quite as it seems in Arthur Schnitzler’s provocative play La ronde, directed by Leila Henriques, as it heats up the Baxter Studio stage this winter from 20 June to 12 July 2025. Far more than an erotic carousel, the play exposes the transactional nature of modern relationships, where the lines between agency, desire and self-worth are constantly blurred.

"I would really stress to writers, especially creative writers – of fiction and also of creative nonfiction – to develop your voice, your style; don’t turn to AI to develop it for you. There’s a wooden quality to this sort of prose that’s a bore to read."

"While the theme of arts and money is critical – artists absolutely need funding to continue their work – my presentation was not just about finances. It was about the often overlooked but essential role of arts administrators in the creative and cultural industries. I spoke about how arts administrators are no longer just support personnel; we are visionaries, policy influencers, systems-builders and change agents."

"My presentation was a reflection on the role of one of the creative economy’s role-players, the young creatives. Where do they go from here with what is at their disposal?"

The Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival is an annual literary celebration held in Cradock, South Africa, featuring writers mainly from the Karoo. Evening gatherings often include dinner-theatre performances, fireside chats, and open mic sessions, complemented by hearty Karoo cuisine and warm hospitality.

"I can hear the choir sing
While I’m dressed in Sunday best.
To say my last goodbye"

Denise Zinn is an alumnus of Harvard University and plays an active role in university management in South Africa. She tells Freek Robinson about the liberating effect Harvard had on her own development, and also reflects on the importance of continued research, worldwide, and the contribution that foreign students make to any university.

"Nothing this inquiry can do can bring back these remarkable men, and to put a price on their deaths seems insulting in the extreme. But it was done previously."

"The interpreters is ’n versameling essays wat die tradisionele grense van joernalistiek en literêre skryfwerk uitdaag. Dit is ’n viering van stories wat nie net inlig nie, maar ook emosie, refleksie en kulturele diepte uitlok. Die boekresensent Jonathan Amid het in gesprek getree met die samestellers van die boek, Sean Christie en Hedley Twidle."

"The Great Cattle Killing incident is an extremely sensitive issue among the Xhosa. Nicholas dared to tread where most fear to tread. He handled the topic fairly and with deep empathy. But much of what still needs to be researched and said about the incident remains."

"The more we publish, the brighter it looks, so we are going to continue nurturing this wonderful genre."

"The first book to be launched was Winged words, a short collection of poetry on bird mythology, written by John Samuel and beautifully illustrated by Vulindlela Nyoni. The second was Tested by fire, a biography on Neville Alexander, written by Doreen Musson."