Books and writers
Information about the latest books and the people behind them
Press release: SA Festival of Children’s Literature
2023-05-03The SA Festival of Children’s Literature takes place online from 5 tot 7 May 2023. Follow the link to register and to download the programme.
I wish I’d said … Vol 5: book review
2023-05-03"Many of us have turned to art for understanding and solace during this time. Art can provide both, on its creative and receiving ends. And perhaps no other art form can capture this wonder as succinctly as poetry."
Persverklaring: Picture this | Press release: Picture this
2023-05-03Ons is op soek na uitstaande ontluikende illustreerders. | We are looking for outstanding up-and-coming illustrators.
Fresh off the press: Cape Malay cooking: My story, my heritage by Fatima Sydow
2023-04-26In this book Fatima takes us on a nostalgic journey through her memories of the many important feasts celebrated in her Cape Malay culture.
I did not die by Tebello Mzamo: a book review
2023-04-26"Mzamo deftly and movingly sketches the precarious conditions of life; we see in the emotional torsions of this novel’s characters how life plays out for those who extract wealth but don’t benefit from it."
Press release: Afrikaans books, authors and sessions step into the spotlight at FLF 2023
2023-04-25The 2023 Franschhoek Literary Festival will offer Afrikaans literature as part of a rich and engaging three-day programme. Afrikaans makes its appearance for the first time at the festival through a mix of sessions in Afrikaans and Afrikaans authors and books.
First sip: The Samsung man’s path to success by Sung Yoon
2023-04-24"Even as an entry-level associate, I enjoyed what I did. I was experiencing what it meant to love what you do."
The man who shook mountains by Lesley Mofokeng: a book review
2023-04-19"If anything, the book carries the pain it narrates with graceful eloquence, even though, by necessity of our state’s disrepair, its tone is often tinged with melancholy."
The Samsung man’s path to success: an interview with Sung Yoon
2023-04-13"Trust relationships, that is what it is about. In life. In business. This is how you make a business grow. Not that people will always like you. But they should trust you. Your employers, as well as your customers. They should trust you and your brand."
Searching for Papa’s secrets in Hitler’s Berlin by Egonne Roth: a book review
2023-04-11"An intriguing and at times mesmerizing account and one that bears re-reading."
Press release: 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist announced
2023-04-05Twenty-eight outstanding stories have been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the world’s most global literature prize. The stories range from fables to family dramas, tackling a range of themes and topics from violence and war to environmental damage, from love and loss to unexpected friendships.
Press release: Introducing PEN SA's Podcast on Keorapetse Kgositsile
2023-03-29A new PEN South Africa "Empty Chair Podcast" episode celebrates the life and legacy of Keorapetse Kgositsile, South Africa’s former national poet laureate.
A book of personalised histories, a review of The inheritors by Eve Fairbanks
2023-03-29"In this era of historical revisions by both white conservatives and radically woke activists who’re obsessed with trying to use history as another weapon of politics, perhaps this recalling of our lived experiences beyond mere ideologies is what will free us from these demagogues."
The Samsung man’s path to success by Sung Yoon: book launch
2023-03-29Pippa Hudson will be in conversation with Sung Yoon at the V&A Waterfront on Wednesday, 5 April 2023.
Time of the Writer festival 2023: Born-frees curate a festival of critical reflection and optimism
2023-03-27"If Eskom and corruption seem to take up the headspace of most adults in South Africa there’s a lot more that takes up the headspaces of born-free South Africans. This year’s festival, with its theme Placemaking: influence, roots, expression & imagination, was a dynamic platform for critical reflection and engagement."
Cut to the chase: Scriptwriting for beginners – an interview with Janet van Eeden
2023-03-23"Filmmaking is famously described as 'showing and not telling'. My favourite thing about it is that screenwriting is the art of getting a character to say something which reveals a completely different truth to the words they say. As Emma Thompson said when I had the honour of meeting her (it’s in the book!), screenwriting is the art of a character saying, 'Pass me the butter', when they really mean, 'You have ruined my life.'"
Fresh off the press: Twitter dawn by Joe Kitchen
2023-03-23This “micro-novel” describes an imaginary future society and the role of social media where people are literally living inside virtual reality to the extent that they are unable to distinguish virtual reality from real life.
Press release: The Island Prize longlist for 2023
2023-03-20The Island Prize is very proud to be announcing our longlist for 2023.
Books on the Bay 2023
2023-03-20"Clearly, the longing for such a gathering of writers and readers must have been in the salty air for a long time, and hopefully Books on the Bay can still it every Cape autumn from now on."
Podcast: Johann Rossouw in conversation with Eve Fairbanks about The inheritors: An intimate portrait of a brave and bewildered nation
2023-03-17Eve Fairbanks’s book about post-apartheid South Africa, The inheritors: An intimate portrait of a brave and bewildered nation (Jonathan Ball), was launched on Thursday, 9 March in Bloemfontein. Johann Rossouw interviewed her about her book. Themes such as Girardian mimesis in South Africa, the shared loss of a future, the shared Christian idealism of South Africans and the position of minorities were discussed during this launch.