Litnet

"It is a surprisingly beautiful message derived from brutally honest and ever-relevant commentary on human society as a whole."

The inaugural ArtFluence Human Rights Festival (5‒8 May 2021) will focus on arts, constitution and democracy. This online festival, presented by the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) in partnership with the Embassy of the Netherlands, will be live-streamed. 

To celebrate the release of Christine, Melinda Ferguson Books (an imprint of NB Publishers) is thrilled to announce an exciting competition that offers one lucky reader the chance to win a return ticket to Amsterdam in 2022.

The inaugural Commonwealth Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit is the first global event to focus on women in emerging tech sectors. It is a two-day online conference focusing on women’s entrepreneurship featuring 50 speakers, 20 talks and 12 panel sessions.

"By the fading light is a book to be read and reread. To remind us of where we were as a country. To savour the language. To laugh. But mostly to stare misty-eyed into the distance."

"This debut novel by acclaimed poet Timothy Ogene bears the traces of the author’s lyrical talent, his Nigerian origins, his expansive reading of world literature and his life-cherishing attentiveness to natural and human phenomena, both physical and spiritual. The text is, nevertheless, unpretentious in every way; as a narrative, perhaps a bildungsroman, the predominant tonal quality is a sort of quietness, a retrospective serenity."

"We recognise when our pets are happy or sad, we understand the happy expression of an elephant wallowing in a muddy waterhole or a tired lion yawning under the shade of a tree at midday. But the mannerisms of bats, fish and mosquitoes, no."

"This fight requires determination and brutal efficiency. Diplomacy does not work with criminals. If the president succeeds, voters will rally around and defend him."

"Brandish the banners – 
bright red as the dying day – 
for tonight the old man will wilt 
and eerily drift away –"

"Listening language involves people from different language backgrounds talking and writing their own language, and understanding one another while developing their receptive language skills and practising strategies to attain a more complete command of the other language."

"As a reader (and writer), I find the interviews Labuschagne conducted with suspects most interesting, as they afford one rare glimpses into their worlds and the way they saw things."

On 29 April 2021 at 10:00, Marianne Thamm will be in conversation with Wahbie Long about his book, Nation on the couch: Inside South Africa's mind, as part of the Suidoosterfees-Jakes Gerwel conversations at Artscape, Cape Town. Robert Kriger interviews Wahbie to find out more about his book, which he describes as a "letter to all South African citizens".

"The dread. Yes, the feeling of dread never leaves. You have two underage girls; one is pregnant. With little money and no support, they travel to New York. What should be a one-day excursion turns into a prolonged three-day affair. They have nowhere to stay, no money to spend."

"What distinguishes South African stories is that they are about people who experience our environment in the same way we do, who look like us, who understand the specific challenges we face, perhaps in more profound ways than people in other English-speaking parts of the world."

"I want them to pursue their studies and other talents they have, even if it is tough and challenging, because in all hard work there is reward, and hard work pays."

"Basically, we all need each other, so, no, we cannot allow humanity to self-destruct." Adam Cruise (It’s not about the bats) will be part of the Jakes Gerwel conversations at the Suidoosterfees. 

"Why write? Because you (as a reader yourself) know all about the joy that a reader finds in a good book. You want to replicate that joy, be responsible for it. A book is a hand reaching out, sometimes to communicate, sometimes to offer comfort, sometimes to outrage."

"He is the man South Africa can call with pride its best crime fiction author, whose reputation has long crossed the South African borders to reach Europe and France."

Deon Meyer was awarded the award of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) on behalf of the French President at Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch. Here are some pictures of the event.

"Ce soir, le chat est sur le toit. Tonight, the cat is on the roof."