Litnet

An international judging panel has shortlisted twenty-three outstanding stories for the world’s most global literature prize. The shortlisted writers hail from 13 countries across the Commonwealth and their ambitious stories span continents and decades.

Join us for an evening filled with lively discussions around Ian Sutherland’s new novel, Catastrophe. Set against the backdrop of a world teetering on the brink of disaster, this thought-provoking novel explores themes of resilience, redemption, and the pursuit of truth in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Whether embarking on a bizarre quest to find Cecil Rhodes’s missing nose (sliced off the bust of the Rhodes Memorial) or bike-packing the Scottish islands with a couple of squabbling anarchists; whether learning to surf (much too late) in the wild, freezing waters off the Cape Peninsula or navigating the fraught politics of a Buddhist retreat centre – the author explores forgotten utopias, intentional communities and islands of imagination with curiosity, hope and humour.

"I remember that it was a close-up photo of Opperman’s face which illustrated one of his poetry collections. I was fascinated by the detail, which I immediately associated with a landscape. This was the impetus which inspired me to start writing."

Following the success of our first Skrywersaand, we are pleased to invite you to our second event in this series on 11 April at Oude Leeskamer in Stellenbosch. Jonathan Amid will poke the bear with these two live-wire authors, asking whether their writing is indeed disturbing the comfortable and comforting the disturbed.

Early in February, the AVBOB Poetry Project announced its first mini-competition for 2024 on the theme of “Across a crowded street”. In a cultural landscape where our words can easily divide us and box us in, poets were invited to find their most urgent words, whether tender and encouraging or new and challenging. Today, we announce the winning poets and share their extraordinary poems.

"It is often said that South Africa does not have a theatre-going culture, so the day is a good tool to remind the public that theatre exists. I say this partly in jest, because performance and storytelling are part of our country’s cultural core and we are natural audience members (if we break away from stereotypical ideas of 'theatre')."

"This year’s theme for Time of the Writer was 'Reflections, resonance and revival'. Watching the diverse panels online strangely focused my attention on these concepts in ways that maybe an in-person attendance wouldn’t have."

"But it is fantastical, in ways which aren’t entirely positive, to read a contemporary novel which treats the very thin bubble of glamour in the city without asking about the facts lying right within the bubble ..."

"[I]n this book she has less 'chosen' the events of her own life than been strong enough to grasp, grapple with and capture them – laid them, you might say, as if on a mortuary slab. Except, mercifully, she didn’t die."

"Any serious writer with purpose will agree that the opportunity to collaborate in dialogue with a diverse group of writers from across the world in various disciplines is a sure way to grow personally as a writer and broaden your scope."

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature invites you to a conference that explores all aspects of children’s literature, from picture books to young adult fiction.

Melissa Sussens is a poet dedicated to opening up and maintaining inclusive spaces for poets everywhere. Melissa has shared three exercises that help her to find her own creative spark (and kindle it in others).

"And secondly, I keep asking this: why should anyone bother to read or come watch a play written by an unknown young man who lives in the outskirts of Cape Town, where everything is far from him and the city lights are supposedly fantasies? And who lives every day looking up hoping to see a billboard of a role model in the township, but only gets to see the walking, unsung heroes who once tried and failed, the many who sought stability and did everything right, yet still crashed?"

"The best part of the residency is the uninterrupted time to write, in a heavenly location, and the inspiration one gets in such a historic place. The town is quiet, the views are calming; this is honestly the best place to write."

"Midway through my second passion fruit and lemonade, I said that a region so rich in literary history deserves a literary festival of its own. To which David [Attwell] replied: 'Why don’t we do it?'"

Amazwi is hosting its annual Literature, Heritage, Ecology Conference on 19 and 20 March. There is no charge to attend the conference.

"Growing up, I did not have books. People around me didn’t buy books, and libraries were far from where I lived in Soshanguve. .... I eventually went from not having books to writing them."

"Representation really matters. When you see yourself represented on film or in books, I feel that it sends the message that you are worthy and your stories are worthy of being told. You belong in this world. You are seen."

The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is presenting the Time of the Writer festival from 14 to 21 March. A noteworthy focus will be on literary legacies, inviting festival attendees to engage in profound reflections on the significance of literary legacies in our ever-evolving world.