Books and writers
Information about the latest books and the people behind them
Ten questions: Martin Sehlapelo on A Peek Inside a Political Prisoner's Heart
2015-02-18 "I will never forget my trip to the island. There was a small round window which allowed a little bit of light and from where I could see the changing colours of the waters which were now covering the glass as the ship was sailing towards the island. From my perspective, we were under the sea, I felt like I was going to drown and die."
Review: An Imperfect Blessing by Nadia Davids
2015-02-16 "Davids is unafraid to tackle hefty questions that refuse arbitrary answers: How does transformation and transition take place? Who gets to determine the course and character of relationships?"
André Brink: Impressions / Afterthoughts
2015-02-10After André Brink had received an honorary doctorate and delivered a speech at UCL he made one final public appearance. On Thursday, 5 February he was interviewed by Ludo Teeuwen at Bozar in Belgium. This interview (including photos) was the last time he appeared in front of an audience in his life.
Photos of André Brink's last public performance
2015-02-10After André Brink had received an honorary doctorate and delivered a speech at UCL he made one final public appearance. On Thursday, 5 February he was interviewed by Ludo Teeuwen at Bozar in Belgium. This interview was the last time he appeared in front of an audience in his life. Here are photos of this final interview.
In Memoriam: André Brink
2015-02-09 "Meeting him gave me a dear friend. Losing him is painful. Something I share with so many. Raising a glass to you now in London, dear André, friend for 41 years."
André Brink's speech at the Université catholique de Louvain
2015-02-07 The last speech of André Brink can be heard here.
Ten questions: Daniel Jardim on Retreat – The Joy of Conscious Eating
2015-02-05 "Live lots. Laugh lots. Play with your food."
Review: WWI and the People of South Africa by Bill Nasson
2015-01-06 "The war affected South Africa in many different ways, as is expertly shown by Nasson in this gripping text. Nasson’s gift is to be able to put across sometimes heavy concepts in a way highly accessible to readers who want to know more about complex issues."
Book review: The World’s Great Question: Olive Schreiner’s South African Letters 1889–1920
2015-01-05 "Thank Mr Ghandi [sic] for the invitation to the meeting but you know I hate war. It is against my religion – whether it is Englishmen travelling thousands of miles to go & kill Indians in India or Indians travelling thousands of miles to kill white men whom they have never seen in Europe."
Review: The Hunchback Missionary by Elsa Joubert
2014-12-15 "It is a complex, difficult, often impenetrable and ultimately graceful journey that sweeps us across a brutal frontier and offers glimpses of an antique and elusive South African God."
Breyten Breytenbach receives honorary doctorate from Ghent University
2014-12-10 "On 3 December 2014, Ghent University (UGent) presented an institutional honorary doctorate to the South African poet, painter, novelist, playwright, essayist and freedom activist Breyten Breytenbach."
Review: In a burning sea by Marlise Joubert
2014-12-10 "And whatever translation does not achieve ... it does allow for a reimagining of Afrikaans poetry and successfully presents an indication of the scope of the creativity and leitmotifs in contemporary Afrikaans poetry."
One Man vs "One Man"
2014-12-04 James Woodhouse, publisher at Kwela, tells Naomi Meyer about a literary coincidence – some real life crime fiction.
Review like nobody's watching
2014-12-02 Within South Africa's claustrophobic literary scene everybody is too afraid to write bad book reviews. Fiona Snyckers tells Naomi Meyer what needs to be done.
Review: Tales of the Metric System by Imraan Coovadia
2014-11-19 "'(N)ovels are more important than ever … because they enable us to exercise our minds … allow us to step back and see where the history is taking us.' Coovadia’s latest testifies not only to the truth of this statement, but also to so much more."
Joint review – Heaven: New and Selected Poems and Holding Back
2014-10-27 "Gus Ferguson and Douglas Reid Skinner are generous poets who live in their works as real characters (worried, bereaved, amused, enamoured) and who mind about their readers."
Ingrid Jonker award ceremony speech
2014-10-10 Karin Schimke says she is "deeply moved by this honour".
Review: Entanglement by Steven Boykey Sidley
2014-10-10 Professor Jared Borowitz observes that the trouble with the universe is that “it has tricks and unpleasant surprises and irritating little quirks, and refuses to be ordered.”
Review: Tokoloshe Song by Andrew Salomon
2014-10-10 Tokoloshe Song, Salomon’s first published novel, is a fantasy laced with horror and humour.