Litnet

Maneo Mohale is a poet, feminist writer and editor whose debut collection Everything is a deathly flower (uHlanga, 2019) won the 2020 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. Read their extraordinary list poem here and be reminded of poetry’s roots in song, magic and ritual. The annual AVBOB Poetry Competition remains open until midnight on 30 November 2024.

Darryl David is the organiser of numerous book festivals in South Africa. This year he delivered the keynote address at the biannual conference for the International Organisation of Book Towns of New Zealand at the national Book Town in Featherston, which is an hour’s drive from Wellington. He shares some of his photos of the visit to New Zealand with LitNet’s readers.

"Lank lewe die saliges, dié wat lees, die Bookbedonnerd-familie, want aan hulle behoort die biblioteeksaal op Richmond en die verbeelde Melkweg besaai met verse en stories."

"This is a deeply religious book, but it is so much more than that. Khoza reflects on a wide range of topics, such as the Atlantic slave trade, missionaries in Africa, the 1976 Soweto riots, Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement, the South African transition to democracy, and leaders such as King Moshoeshoe, Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela."

The winners of the annual Sunday Times Literary Awards were announced last night in Johannesburg, where author Johnny Steinberg was the recipient of the Sunday Times Non-Fiction Award for his work, Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a marriage (Jonathan Ball Publishers). Andrew Brown received the Sunday Times Fiction Award for The bitterness of olives (Karavan Press).

"Book Town Richmond is like the Cheers bar in Boston. It's a place where everybody knows your name."

"By visiting New Zealand, I realised that despite all the challenges we face in South Africa, Book Town Richmond is a shining light among Book Towns of the world. And I feel ashamed that I even contemplated closing the book on possibly the greatest fairytale in the history of book culture in South Africa."

"Welz is a zoologist, a biologist, a nature conservationist, but perhaps most tellingly – by his own admission – an old-fashioned naturalist. His stories are woven with a sense of wonder for the world he loves, something that sets him apart from other scientists in his field."

Adriaan Basson will be in conversation with Karyn Maughan for the book launch of I will not be silenced on Wednesday, 13 November at 18:00 at Exclusive Books, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

"I had the option of trans-creation, while also making sure that the Shona voice remained Tambu’s, and not that of a village elder, which is my favourite when it comes to my Shona writings." Philani Nyoni interviews Tanaka Chidora about his experience translating Tsitsi Dangarembga’s The book of not (Ayebia Clarke Publishing, 2006).

Gayton McKenzie, the South African minister of sport, arts, and culture, will deliver the 12th International African Writers’ Day Lecture at the Africa Century International African Writers’ Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is: "Artificial Intelligence (AI), social justice and social change: The future of literature in Africa. Quo Vadis?"

"What part of the book did I like most? The knowledge that you can still win, even if you sometimes lose. Losing isn’t always losing; sometimes it is merely something not working out now, and you need to move on to the next step."

"In Your ultimate personal finance guide, the key, as in much else in life, seems to be self-exploration and self-knowledge. Defining your own ideals, vision and boundaries, identifying strengths and addressing weaknesses can set one on a path of success. Having a plan, even if it is not a good plan, is always preferable to having no plan, particularly when it comes to personal finances."

The 19th South African Literary Awards will celebrate a literary milestone when more than 30 authors are honoured for their contributions to South African literature at a gala dinner at the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History in Tshwane on 7 November 2024.

"Sitting at the fireplace of Victorian Manor Hotel on one of those rather bitterly cold Karoo nights, I flattered my imagination with the idea that Schreiner once sat before the same fire or on the stoep of the hotel, where, according to Fox, the farmers used to come for gossip and a sip of brandy; this made things come alive in a special way for me."

Kom vier die einde van Die Bergengel-boekreeks deur Carina Stander. Word betower deur ’n aand van stories, musiek, Gabriëllië-geïnspireerde kos en wyn. Kom in feesklere, soos ’n karakter uit Die Bergengel-boekreeks. Dit vind plaas by Kleinkaap Boutique Hotel in Centurion, Pretoria, op 24 Oktober om 18:00 vir 18:30.

You are invited to the book launch of What Nelson Mandela taught me by Zelda la Grange. Adriaan Basson will be in conversation with Zelda la Grange on Thursday, 17 October 2024 at 18:00 for 18:30 at Exclusive Books (Somerset Mall) in Somerset-West.

Siv Ngesi will be in conversation with Zelda la Grange for the launch of her book, What Nelson Mandela taught me, on Tuesday, 15 October 2024 at 17:30 for 18:00 at Exclusive Books Cavendish (Claremont) in Cape Town.

The Otto Foundation is excited to reveal the shortlists for its inaugural Children’s Book Award. The award was conceived with the aim to support local publishers, promote new authors and illustrators, and to recognise quality South African storytelling.

"When desperate needs outpace scarce resources, a young doctor gets caught up in a deadly trinity of medicine, corruption and superstition. Murphy Meyer, the fictional doctor in the novel, has her own reasons for coming to work at Eden, and she will soon figure out whether Eden is a safe haven or hell. Will she be alive long enough to learn the truth and unravel the mystery she has tasked herself with?"