Books and writers
Information about the latest books and the people behind them
Press release: Inspiring new generations of literary talent – the Achmat Dangor Literary Prize 2024
2024-08-12The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize is now open to eligible young writers working in all genres (poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction), with applications closing on September 15, 2024.
We were perfect parents until we had children: an interview with Vanessa Raphaely
2024-08-08"We felt that editing the mass of content down to a collection of gems would be a great curated read. We believe it to be powerful (so many parents, not gurus, sharing their experience and wisdom), and we see the trends of what subjects people are concerned about daily. We could and might still publish 10 books. There’s that much."
Press release: Shortlist for the Ingrid Jonker Prize 2024 announced
2024-08-07The shortlisted collections of poetry for the Ingrid Jonker Prize 2024 have been announced.
Fresh off the press: The death of history by Koos Kombuis
2024-08-07This is the most urgent book ever to appear from the pen of cultural icon Koos Kombuis. Sometimes, when he is in an irreverent mood, Koos writes under the fun-filled pseudonym "Joe Kitchen". This time around, though, he is deadly serious. The death of history is a climate change diary.
BookBedonnerd!: The road to elsewhere by Darryl David: an inter-review
2024-08-06"In Afrikaans, bedonnerd has pejorative associations. But I used the name to mean 'crazy about books'. I feel that there is no greater word for my memoir than BookBedonnerd."
Open Book Festival unveils programme for 2024 edition
2024-08-06The programme for this year’s Open Book Festival is now live. The festival, known for creating an inclusive space for important conversations, is set to explore a range of themes including mental health, fatherhood, creativity, and the impact of history on the present.
PenAfrican: Call and response by Gothataone Moeng – a book review
2024-08-06"Most of these stories are set in Botswana, which in itself is refreshing since there has been a scarcity of stories in that setting since the death of Bessie Head."
Press release: The Caine Prize for African Writing announces 2024 shortlist
2024-07-31The Caine Prize for African Writing, an esteemed annual award honouring outstanding African writers, is pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2024 edition. The five shortlisted stories were carefully selected from a pool of 320 entries originating from 28 African countries.
Book launch invitation: What’s wrong with June? by Qarnita Loxton on 1 August at Wordsworth Books, Stellenbosch
2024-07-29You are invited to the book launch of What’s wrong with June? by Qarnita Loxton. Eva Mazza will be in conversation with Qarnita Loxton on 1 August, Wordsworth Books, Stellenbosch Square at 18:00 for 18:30.
Press release: SALA celebrates 19 years of advancing our literary heritage: The 2024 adjudication process commences
2024-07-25The 19th South African Literary Awards ceremony will take place on 7 November 2024. Earlier that day, the 12th Africa Century International African Writers Conference celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the African Union-declared International African Writers’ Day and 30 years of South Africa’s freedom and democracy.
Press release: New beginnings as the 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition starts
2024-07-25The 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition officially opens for entries on 1 August 2024. This prestigious contest invites poets from all corners of South Africa to submit their original works in any of the South Africa’s 11 official written languages. With generous cash prizes awaiting the winning entries, this is a golden opportunity for talented wordsmiths to shine.
All rise: Tales of human rights and wrongs by Roger Chennells: a book review
2024-07-19"No, he is not a rock star lawyer, as are some of those mentioned at the top of this note, but he is instead a humbler man who limited his financial ambitions to work rather with the needy and the under-resourced. He did great work here, at no great profit. The best of South Africa is built on such people making such sacrifices."
Press release: Open Book Festival announces stellar lineup for 2024 | 6–8 September, Cape Town
2024-07-15This year’s festival promises to be more than just a celebration of literature; it will serve as a vital platform for meaningful discussions. The lineup includes a wide array of talented writers, reflecting the rich tapestry of African literature.
The wolf hunt by Justin Fox: a review
2024-07-12"The action scenes and literary descriptions of the ocean with all its vicissitudes are vivid – from the perspectives of both a submariner and a sailor on a surface vessel. The text is replete with historical references and technical details of life on board, and is aided by a glossary of naval terms at the beginning of the book."
Press release: AVBOB Poetry | A gift that can’t be quantified
2024-07-10As South Africans prepare to celebrate Mandela Day on 18 July, the AVBOB Poetry Project is acknowledging Nkateka Masinga, a Mandela Washington Fellow and an award-winning writer, poet and scholar whose original voice pays tribute to the leaders and storytellers who came before her.
A love letter to Long Street: A reader’s impression
2024-07-09"Meintjes devotedly nurses his grape and malt, the pool table and his favourite bars, while around him the grand spectacle of life unfolds, and the stoicism of Long Street is revealed on a nightly basis."
Press release | AVBOB Poetry: The art of being surprised
2024-07-01This month, the AVBOB Poetry Project asked the award-winning South African poet Caitlin Stobie to reflect on what aspiring poets can do to channel more surprising, richly imagined words. Read the three creative writing tips Caitlin shared and notice how your experience of writing is transformed when you apply them to your own practice.
A voice from within: Decolonising the Palestinian mind | A conversation with Haidar Eid
2024-06-27"Gaza has become the centre of the universe, the same way Soweto was the centre of the universe." A book discussion and video interview with Haidar Eid, author and professor in postcolonial studies and postmodern literature at al-Aqsa University, Gaza City.
Fresh off the press: Commando: A Boer Journal of the Anglo-Boer War by Deneys Reitz, edited and annotated by Fransjohan Pretorius
2024-06-26Commando is more than a historical document; it is a literary masterpiece that transcends time. With prose that captures both the brutality and the beauty of war, Reitz weaves a narrative that resonates with authenticity and passion. As relevant today as when it was first penned, Commando has become a South African classic and stands as a testament to the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity.
Press release: Sanjana Thakur wins 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
2024-06-26Sanjana Thakur: "Writing stories is a way for me to accept that Mumbai is a city I will long for even when I am in it; it is a way to remake ‘place’ in my mind. I feel that the Commonwealth Short Story Prize offers that chance up to all of us: to be a writer who is from ‘somewhere’, to write from inside a legacy of colonialism and migration. I am so incredibly grateful to the prize for recognising that stories are not written in a vacuum."