Litnet

Adriaan Basson will be in conversation with Jeff Wicks at the book launch of The shadow state: Why Babita Deokaran had to die on 28 August at Exclusive Books, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

"With 'We cannot afford to be silent', I hope to annihilate the word missing in front of middle class. I do not believe that, as the middle class, we are missing at all. I hope to call out to other middle-class citizens that their complacency is not serving them, but rather hurting them and rendering them “missing”."

"From Newclare to Coronationville to Riverlea, he takes our hand as we are guided on an Odysseus-like journey through the streets of his childhood, weaving vivid recollections of food, family and foes."

"We are still looking for singers, therefore the recruitment goes on."

Taking the multimedia operatic experiments of William Kentridge, South Africa’s most celebrated contemporary visual artist, as a starting point, author Juliana M. Pistorius investigates contemporary opera’s potential to process the troubled histories that haunt post- and decolonial societies.

There are no mentors involved and both emerging and established writers of all genres are invited to apply.

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature invites you to a conference that explores all aspects of children’s literature, from picture books to young adult fiction. The conference brings together authors, illustrators, translators, academics, publishers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, reviewers and all organisations and individuals working to promote or study children’s books, get children reading, and to get books to children.

"The thing about speculative fiction is that it’s always about now."

"When we discussed the idea of the book and chat club, we imagined books as a way for people to connect – a way to say 'hello' from South Africa to Ukraine. That’s how this project was born."

Andile Bhali attended the Etienne van Heerden Veldsoirée from 25 to 27 July 2025. Here is a selection of his photographs.

"Africa is not merely a matter of geography. It is a wound still healing, a question still posed, a promise yet unfulfilled. For those of us who believe in her future, that work of memory and of resistance remains unfinished."

"Feeling overwhelmed with all the shows on offer? Here is a list of highly rated shows to watch, covering varying genres."

"[M]emory, especially in societies shaped by violence and historical injustice, is never singular or linear. It is shaped by power, trauma, resistance, silence and ongoing struggles for recognition. Memory is often contested and fragmented, because different groups remember differently, and what is remembered or forgotten is deeply political."

You are warmly invited to a panel discussion on Postcolonial opera, William Kentridge and the unbounded work of art by Juliana M Pistorius.

"The dangers of the queer hook-up scene are at the heart of this psychological thriller, and as it unravels, the audience bears witness to how a case of sexual assault inspires a Grindr serial killer."

"The book succeeds admirably in mapping the spiritual geography of our black lives, especially how our indigenous cosmology, shaped by centuries of ancestral wisdom, gradually morphed into what is now termed 'religion' with the advent of Christian missionaries."

"Ultimately, I think all stories are fundamentally stories of power. Power is at the very heart of drama and conflict. There are those who have it and those who want it. I can’t think of a short story I have written that didn’t explore power in some way. The most interesting power struggles are those that characters experience inside themselves."

On the railway takes readers through South Africa’s rich railway history, from Estcourt to the grand steam engines on narrow gauges. David Williams highlights luxurious trains like the White and Blue Trains, and the vital role of goods trains in the economy. He explores engineering feats that tamed tough terrains and the growth of railway towns. The book also addresses racial segregation, the decline of the rail network, and reflects on the past and uncertain future of South African railways.

"I see electricity as a character as well, as the story accentuates the power of electricity by showing how it controls and affects life. Lack or scarcity of electricity disrupts society and causes issues that affect everyone. Electricity empowers and connects people; it’s a power that nobody should be denied."

"Paige uses her real-life Good Book Appreciation Society (GBAS) page, which she founded on Facebook, as a cornerstone of Book people. At the moment, GBAS has almost 24 000 members who post their opinions/reviews of books they have read, often sparking heated debates about personal likes and dislikes."