Litnet

"There is enough variation to keep the book interesting, and I have to conclude that Green as the sky is blue is a thoroughly enjoyable book. The book also had a nice feel of Zen Buddhism to it, in the way that Simon concludes that some things are just beyond expression, that it is what it is and that one must flow with life and not always resist by overtly abstract reasoning." 

Join The Book Lounge and The Fugard Theatre for the ninth Open Book Festival which takes place from 4 to 8 September this year.

Kwela and Love Books invite you to the Johannesburg launch of Holding the fort by Toni Strasburg on 18 June, and on 25 June in Cape Town.

"It is about a woman by the name of Lucy Lurie (clearly inspired by Coetzee’s character of the same name), who is trying to recover from a gang rape. What makes her situation more unbearable is that a male writer, John Coetzee, has written a bestselling book about her experience. She feels as though it was her story to tell."

"Indeed, it is hard to think of South African political poetry without the name of James Matthews. He was firmly identified with local expressions of Black Consciousness in the early 1970s, and his poetry shaped our generation’s understanding of the injustices, brutality and inhumanity that apartheid visited upon our communities across the country."

"Leon de Kock’s well-judged biography presents us with a complex portrait of a great writer beset by a fundamental loneliness. All the sex, all the affairs and all the marriages were a frequently misguided attempt to end this loneliness."

There’s only a few more weeks to submit your Cape Town stories to enter the Cape Town Library Book: Writing my City competition. The final deadline for submissions is 15 June.

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature is proud to announce the 2019 Eastern Cape Literature Festival, which will take place at the new Amazwi museum complex in Makhanda from 3-7 July 2019.

The Jacana Literary Foundation, in partnership with the Other Foundation, is proud to announce the 2019 recipient of the Gerald Kraak Prize. Congratulations to OluTimehin Adegbeye, whose essay, "Mothers and Men", made her this year’s worthy winner.

On Wednesday 22 May Ena Jansen’s book Like family was launched at the Book Lounge in Cape Town.  The book deals with the contact zone between the domestic worker and the family she works for. Jansen chose to share the stage with Sindiwe Magona and Myrtle Witbooi.

"We all want our books to sell well and to reach the widest possible audience. Being invited to Franschhoek is an invaluable leg-up for any writer’s career. May the festival continue to go from strength to strength."

Here is the programme of the 9th Schreiner Karoo Writers' Festival – which takes place in Cradock from the 6th to the 9th of June 2019.

The Franschhoek Literary Festival took place from 17 - 19 May 2019. Izak de Vries was the paparazzo on behalf of LitNet.

"I highly recommend this valuable text, the worth and interest of which I hope the above review has given some indication."

"A person my colour is by no means easy, but it is important. Apart from the ill-conceived introduction, which ought to have been a reflection at the end, the narrative is stylish and gripping."

"The book is by no means a hero-worshipping publication, and the oppression of black South Africans by the Union government forms an important part of the book. It is a fresh appraisal of Botha, but even this bold attempt will, I believe, not stir any long-term interest in the former prime minister."

"The Amazwi South African Museum of Literature's new identity and vision was unveiled by the National Department of Arts and Culture in Makhanda, at a ceremony which also marked the official opening of its new custom-built, state-of-the-art museum complex."

"It is quite a bold move on the part of the author to make claims such as the ones he makes. The book more than raises the eyebrows, as false claims would certainly land the author in hot water. However if there is any truth to these claims, it would mean that the ruling ANC is in really deep trouble as a party – and not only the ANC, but the country as a whole."

"Plate features a truly sublime collection of 86 appetising main courses with a continental influence. Divided into three chapters – on meat, poultry and seafood – the hand-picked recipes look every bit as scrumptious as they taste."

"Featherstream is a successful first novel. It is written with great care and attention to detail, and has an unusual and credible plot. It is a compelling and readable thriller which convincingly brings to life the Cape of 80 years ago."