The JRB latest
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 5, Issue 2 (April 2021)
Wamuwi Mbao, Damon Galgut, Mercy Dhliwayo, Richard Poplak, Bhakti Shringarpure, Peace Adzo Medie, Femi Kayode, Panashe Chigumadzi, Phumlani Pikoli, Ayanda…
‘What does it do to you to be the subject of someone else’s imaginative impoverishment?’—Wamuwi Mbao reviews Claudia Rankine’s new book Just Us
Claudia Rankine’s Just Us is perhaps the most profound meditation on race and violence to emerge in the first two…
[Sponsored] Facing racism as young doctor—read an excerpt from The Boy Who Never Gave Up: A Refugee’s Epic Journey to Triumph by Emmanuel Taban
Jonathan Ball Publishers has shared an excerpt from The Boy Who Never Gave Up: A Refugee’s Epic Journey to Triumph…
‘They say charity begins at home. But so does depression’—Mercy Dhliwayo talks to Jennifer Malec about her debut collection of short stories, Bringing Us Back
Mercy Dhliwayo chatted to The JRB Editor Jennifer Malec about family relationships, border jumping, and her debut collection of short…
‘Aggressively, almost wantonly unreadable’—Richard Poplak reviews Jordan B Peterson’s new book Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life
While 12 Rules for Life was a snapshot of an intellectual moment, however paltry, Beyond Order is the literary equivalent…
[Sponsored] ‘The book takes you on a journey of strange and wonderful adventures’—Shubnum Khan introduces How I Accidentally Became a Global Stock Photo
Pan Macmillan has shared a video of Shubnum Khan introducing her new book How I Accidentally Became a Global Stock Photo: And…
Hiding in Plain Sight: Cold War Interventions into African Literature—Bhakti Shringarpure reviews Monica Popescu’s At Penpoint: African Literatures, Postcolonial Studies, and the Cold War
Monica Popescu’s At Penpoint: African Literatures, Postcolonial Studies, and the Cold War is a steadfast engagement with the cultural Cold…
[City Editor] The people who stare at the city—Lidudumalingani recognises Joburg’s street vendors, our unacknowledged everyday archivists
The man at the bottom of Johannesburg Road in Highlands North, where Berkswell Road intersects it, punching it from the…
[Sponsored] Meet internationally bestselling author Harlan Coben at the South African exclusive launch of Win! (21 Apr)
Don’t miss your chance to meet Harlan Coben LIVE and answering YOUR questions! Penguin Random House and Exclusive Books invite…
‘I wanted to explore the “otherness” we feel when we go back home’—Femi Kayode talks to Jennifer Malec about his debut novel, Lightseekers
Femi Kayode chatted to The JRB Editor Jennifer Malec about being ‘other’ in your home country, the nature of evil, and his…
‘The final chapter was the most difficult’—Read an interview with Peace Adzo Medie and an excerpt from her debut novel His Only Wife
Ghanaian author Peace Adzo Medie chatted to The JRB about writing, reading and her debut novel His Only Wife. His…
[Sponsored] Watch Rešoketšwe Manenzhe in conversation with Jennifer Malec about her award-winning novel Scatterlings
‘Some stories start in the middle because no one wants to hear the beginning.’ Rešoketšwe Manenzhe chatted to Jennifer Malec recently…
‘Black women’s imaginative works are wreaths lain on the graves of ancestors so that they may not weep.’—Read an excerpt from Panashe Chigumadzi’s essay ‘Hearing the Silence’
The JRB presents an excerpt from a new essay by The JRB Contributing Editor Panashe Chigumadzi, from Surfacing: On Being…
Read ‘Seasons Change’, a short story by the late Phumlani Pikoli, from his book The Fatuous State of Severity
Multidisciplinary artist and award-winning author Phumlani Pikoli passed away tragically this week, aged thirty-three. Phumlani was an inspiring and passionate…
‘Nobody is dead. It’s a word, that’s all.’—Read an exclusive excerpt from The Promise, the forthcoming novel by Damon Galgut
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from The Promise, the new novel by Damon Galgut, which will be released in…
An autumn megamix playlist, compiled by Tymon Smith
The JRB presents tunes and accompanying editorial from our EAP member Tymon Smith. Just in time for the season’s change, here is this…
Poetry by Ayanda Billie, Siza Nkosi Mokhele, Maneo Mohale and Masai Sepuru from Years of Fire and Ash: South African Poems of Decolonisation
The JRB presents a selection of poetry from Years of Fire and Ash: South African Poems of Decolonisation, a new…
[Photo Editor] A portrait of Nawal El Saadawi (1931—2021) by Victor Dlamini
Victor Dlamini is The JRB’s Photo Editor. We feature his work on our Instagram channel. See this ten-year retrospective of his portraits. View this…
‘Call me December, it’s my name at work.’—Read an excerpt from Kololo Hill, the debut novel by Neema Shah
The JRB presents an excerpt from Neema Shah’s debut novel Kololo Hill. Kololo HillNeema ShahPicador, 2021 Outside the train station…
‘If you must learn to love a man, he is probably not the man you should be loving.’—Read an excerpt from How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones
The JRB presents an excerpt from Cherie Jones’s debut novel How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, recently longlisted for…
‘My mother does not remember how old she was when she buried the first of her children.’—Read an excerpt from Thenjiwe Mswane’s debut novel All Gomorrahs Are The Same
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from All Gomorrahs Are The Same, the debut novel from Thenjiwe Mswane. All Gomorrahs…
[The JRB Daily] 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist announced—including Rémy Ngamije and Moso Sematlane
Header image, from top left: Moso Sematlane, Rémy Ngamije, Ola W Halim, Vincent Anioke and Franklyn Usouwa The shortlist for…
Phumlani Pikoli, 1988—2021, RIP
Multidisciplinary artist and award-winning author Phumlani Pikoli has died, aged thirty-three. According to a family statement, Pikoli was found dead…
[The JRB Daily] 2021 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards winners announced—including The JRB’s Makhosazana Xaba and Niq Mhlongo
The winners of the 2021 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards (HSS Awards) have been announced. The winners were announced at…
[The JRB Daily] 2021 International Booker Prize longlist announced—Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o becomes first person to be nominated as both author and translator
The thirteen novels longlisted for the 2021 International Booker Prize have been revealed. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has made history this…
[The JRB Daily] ‘To be truly powerful is to have your own voice and tell your own story’—Read Zukiswa Wanner’s ‘career-defining’ Time of the Writer keynote address
The author, activist, founder of Afrolit Sans Frontieres and Goethe Medal winner Zukiswa Wanner gave the keynote address at the…
[The JRB Daily] Longlist announced for 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction, including Ghanaian–American novelist Yaa Gyasi
The longlist for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced, including Ghanaian–American novelist Yaa Gyasi. Gyasi has been…
Chris Mann, 1948—2021, RIP
The noted South African poet, playwright, academic and performer Chris Mann has died, it has been reported. According to a…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 5, Issue 1 (February 2021)
Wamuwi Mbao, Lidudumalingani, Efemia Chela, Stephen Langtry, Lebohang Mojapelo, Kopano Maroga, Simon van Schalkwyk, Sanya Osha, Louisa Uchum Egbunike, Tymon…
To move about in an unkind world under the mark of racial blackness—Wamuwi Mbao reviews Scatterlings, the debut novel by Rešoketšwe Manenzhe
Wamuwi Mbao reviews Rešoketšwe Manenzhe’s novel Scatterlings, winner of the 2020 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award. ScatterlingsRešoketšwe ManenzheJacana Media, 2020 There…
[Sponsored] Read an excerpt from Catherine Menon’s Fragile Monsters, a spellbinding debut about what happens when secrets fester through the generations
Penguin Random House SA has shared an excerpt from Catherine Menon’s debut Fragile Monsters, a thrilling novel of war and…
Poetry as a short circuit in the machine of communication—Lidudumalingani talks to Simon van Schalkwyk about his debut collection, Transcontinental Delay
Guest City Editor Lidudumalingani talks to Academic Editor Simon van Schalkwyk about identity, memory, psychogeography, and his new poetry collection,…
African literature should be free to remain ‘a question to itself’—Lebohang Mojapelo reviews The Rise of the African Novel by Mukoma Wa Ngugi
In The Rise of the African Novel, Mukoma Wa Ngugi traces the way African literature has been a space to…
[Sponsored] What does it take to be successful? Watch Carice Anderson reading an excerpt from her new book Intelligence Isn’t Enough
Intelligence Isn’t Enough: A Black Professional’s Guide to Thriving in the Workplace will empower young Black graduates entering the workforce and…
‘You can have all the cathedrals’—Raven Leilani chats to Efemia Chela about her debut novel, Luster
Contributing Editor Efemia Chela speaks to Raven Leilani about desire, contradictions, intimacy, and her debut novel Luster. LusterRaven LeilaniPicador, 2020…
A Cape tragedy—Stephen Langtry reviews Martin Plaut’s new book Dr Abdullah Abdurahman: South Africa’s First Elected Black Politician
Whether we have learnt from the story of Dr Abdullah Abdurahman remains to be seen, writes Stephen Langtry. Martin Plaut’s…
