Litnet

Hier is die commendatio’s van al die boeke op hierdie kortlys, en die wenaankondiging.

"I do not typically 'score' books, but since this is a book about a sporting legend, I decided that I would have to give the book 5 out of 10."

"Racial inequalities are afforded fresh insight, and with the current resurgence of movements like #BlackLivesMatter, books such as Ives’s seem to call louder each day. What better way to delve into South Africa’s socio-political underbelly than with a cup of tea?"

"The idea of whites in colonial Africa conjures up images of pith helmets and khaki shorts, rural landscapes and vast estates, madams and masters parked on verandas alternately sipping gin and barking orders at African servants. Such stereotypes present whites as a uniformly wealthy and homogenous group, secure atop a binary power structure." Duncan Money and Danelle van Zyl-Hermann, editors of Rethinking white societies in southern Africa, 1930s–1990s. 

Judges praise winning stories "that are striking for their lateral leaps, their use of language, voice and subversion – and their sheer courage".

"We mourn with him and feel his helplessness when patients, friends and colleagues commit suicide. But then, he squares his shoulders and soldiers on, dispassionately analysing the circumstances."

"It offers fascinating insight into a dying art – editing – and the industry that is killing it instead of treasuring it for what it can contribute to the wealth of our knowledge and the joys of our entertainment."

Penguin Random House and The Reading List invite you to the launch of Grown ups by bestselling author Marian Keyes. Keyes will be in conversation with another bestselling author, Paige Nick. The launch will take place on 3 June (18h00) on Facebook Live in a video stream on The Reading List’s Facebook page. 

"Besides its wonderful historical detail, the book truly lives up to hope – but also hard work and commitment – to achieve and to serve."

Penguin Random House is proud to announce that Pieter-Louis Myburgh has won the 14th Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism. Myburgh’s bestseller, Gangster State, exposes the dealings of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule. 

"Michael K, seen by others as a simpleton with a harelip, outwits those who capture him by his passive resistance and his search for survival in a world in which we are eminently alone."

"The story was very personal to me, which made it both difficult and easy to write. But I would say the most challenging part was not getting carried away with words and making it fit within the 5 000 word limit." Alboricah Tokologo Rathupetsane’s short story has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

"Though the sticker on the back may say 'Young adult', I am inclined to believe that the heroine’s age and childish mannerisms, as well as those of her friends, point towards a much younger target audience."

Afrolit Sans Frontières is an online literary festival started by author Zukiswa Wanner as a way to entertain people during the COVID-19 quarantine, which is affecting a large percentage of the world. Season three of the festival starts on 25 May (Africa Day) and continues until 1 June. 

"A life full of holes is the fruit of an illiterate man’s imagination and harsh experiences, reflecting a life from childhood to young adulthood that must closely resemble the author's, who was a street vendor and a lowly household employee, like the central character."

"To me, the anthology was a revelation. It achieves precisely the goal it sets out to: it consoles, enlightens, nourishes the grieving soul."

"The first step is to keep the book industry alive: to save jobs and preserve the space in which books provide information to South Africans. That is the main task of this initiative."

"Eb Koybie has all the elements of a riveting read: daredevil adventure, childhood reminiscences, mystery and mayhem."

"I think that there is always more room to explore a feminist life, and so I wanted to do that. In particular, I was interested in why so few pieces in Feminism is touched on the body and on what it meant to live in the world physically as a feminist, so I hoped to get more of those in this collection."

We do not ask that bookshops be open physically for business just yet. Rather, we ask for a simple addition to the current Level 4 regulations: that all books be available for purchase online or over the phone and for delivery, and that all booksellers, big and small, be allowed to trade.