Litnet

"I wanted to give my family dignity and closure and, above all, let them rest in peace. And to the future generations, this is what it was. You can go on and make your own lives."

"Narrative closure is ruthlessly sudden, but this was in many ways inevitable from the start. The tragic tale has also been a story of the liberation of deep feelings – perhaps more valuable than their terrible cost."

Twenty-six outstanding stories have been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the world’s most global literature prize. The writers come from 20 countries across the Commonwealth including, for the first time, Papua New Guinea, eSwatini, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Close to World Book Day on the 23rd of April 2022, Herman Lategan remembers Mary Renault: "Why, then, is she hardly known in the country from where she wrote hit after hit, best-sellers that have been translated into some 20 languages and that have sold millions of copies in English alone?"

Mahala’s biography takes a critical historical approach to Themba’s life and writing, giving a picture of the whole man, from his early beginnings in Marabastad to his sombre end in exile in Swaziland.

"I believe that literature, if done right, speaks about much more than just the present moment – it allows us to examine the past and imagine the future."

"Piqued by his anonymity, by how well his poetry survived the passage of years, and by an error – which I learned only later was an error – I started looking for whatever I could lay my hands on concerning Vincent Swart, perhaps South Africa’s best forgotten poet."

"In a field of recent South African novels that have been marked by a dire need for more judicious editing, the deftness of Davids’s plot is striking."

"Dianne Stewart’s stories are effective because they, too, are rooted in the modern everyday experience of ordinary people with whom we can identify. We cannot predict their ending in most cases, because they are often left open-ended, but it is our imaginations that supply the denouement, depending on which door we open – it puts the reader in the position of being an arbiter of fate."

Lord Alfred Milner was a brilliant public servant and one of Britain’s most famous empire builders who left an indelible imprint on the history of South Africa.

"This is not merely a book about death and dying. All manner of reflection is included: the blunt, the prosaic, the truthful, the tragic, but through it all comes connection – even celebration – as the writers share memories and experiences that lend the stories universal appeal."

"This book could be a good start for someone who wants to get to know the work of Nigerian authors. I would recommend it for readers with a taste for family dramas with weighty topics and satisfying character growth."

In the sixth episode of his podcast series Full particulars, David Attwell discusses JM Coetzee's enigmatic Jesus trilogy with Robert Pippin (University of Chicago), Derek Attridge (University of York), and Elleke Boehmer (University of Oxford). With a reading from The death of Jesus by JM Coetzee.

"For the uninitiated, Cosmonauts do it in heaven might feel like an exploration of space itself, seemingly obscure and impenetrable at first, but the poetry is infused with a desire to take the great leap, to reach for the sky and to celebrate its wonders and 'mysteries,/ solved & sensuous' ('First light')."

Poets or their publishers are invited to submit entries for the Ingrid Jonker Prize for English poetry in 2022. The closing date for submissions is 15 March 2022. 

"While newspaper articles have often provided superficial reports on high-profile doping cases, Van der Berg provides detailed information that readers will find interesting and in some cases alarming."

"Ahmed and Zarga educates its readers concerning the reverence in which camels are held in this context, as it does in making clear the basis of this Bedouin attitude towards their beasts. Slahi’s novel’s natural, informal style and the impression of oral narrative that it establishes are extremely appealing, as well as elegant and aesthetically admirable."

Janet van Eeden interviews Michelle Edwards and also writes: "The novel is page-turningly good. The plot moves swiftly through the first-person voice of Skye, who is that most delicious of literary devices: an unreliable narrator."

The children’s picture book series, The Blanket Tree books (Die Kombersboomboeke in Afrikaans), were written and developed during the time of lockdown by Hélène Ferreira. "Blanket" refers to these comforting, inclusive fantasies, modern-day fairy tales for everyone. The word "tree" signifies growth, learning, renewal and development.

The promise, Damon Galgut’s 2021 Booker Prize winning novel, has been included in the shortlist for the Rathbones Folio Prize.