Litnet

"The individual contributions focus on a fascinating and relevant selection of primary sources, mostly novels and short stories, reaching as far back as Sol Plaatje’s Mhudi (1930) and incorporating contemporary texts into the diverse readings of the South African literary canon."

Are your children stuck at home and do they have too much screen time? LitNet asked a few publishers for suggestions on what young children can read during this time. Here are the books that Penguin Random House suggested. The kids will enjoy reading and also realise that it's a privilege to have a home in which they can be trapped during this strange period. 

"She is a woman and a writer, but doesn’t write women’s fiction."

"My overall feeling towards the novel is exactly what you would expect: just not my cup of tea."

"Bekker has a fascinating voice and she is not afraid to experiment with the short form."

The launch of Of Motherhood and Melancholia by Lou-Marié Kruger took place on Thursday 27 February 2020 at The Book Lounge in Cape Town. Pierre de Vos was in conversation with Lou-Marié.

"This small gem of a novel, published in 2018, is its Zimbabwean author’s first."

This tween-ness complicates and perplexes. It threatens key conceptions we have about the histories, identities, and cultures of those who live on the continent.

"Van Onselen’s exposition of the night trains on the Eastern Main Line offers a clear and focused view of the circumstances surrounding the Mineral Revolution in South Africa."

You are invited to the launch of To the volcano and other stories by Elleke Boehmer in Stellenbosch on 4 March.

Nelson Mandela was scheduled for a medical operation, but all hell broke loose.

The first major exhibition of papers and artefacts from the JM Coetzee archives opened on the evening of 9 February to honour Coetzee on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Here is a photo gallery of the event.

“I think there are still many narratives that portray adoption in a very positive light, where the child is somehow saved by the parent, or, in this country, the black child is saved by the white parent.”

"These are the stories of real people. They’re the stories that we enjoy most, and are, from their reading, those that Gladwell relishes compassionately too."

"The music box treats its first half like a slow ascent up a steep rollercoaster, taking the time to show you the inner cogs of John’s thoughts, giving a carefully intimate look into the mind of a child in an abusive household."

Robin was interviewed by Ruben Richards.

Ming-Cheau was interviewed by author and journalist Sara-Jayne King.

"Bitter pill is a book built for speed. The chapters are short and the events fast paced."

"Stellenbosch Mafia is a pleasant piece of research supplying a good dose of quick facts and insight into the world of South Africa’s richest Afrikaners."

"In a still largely segregated and unequal South Africa, this book is a breath of fresh air to display difference and othering."