The JRB latest
[The JRB Daily] 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist announced, including writers from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia
The shortlist for the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize has been announced. South African writer Alex Latimer and South Africa-based…
[The JRB Daily] 2019 Man Booker International Prize shortlist announced—an all-female list of translators alongside five female authors
The shortlist for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize, celebrating the ‘finest works of translated fiction from around the world’, has…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 3, Issue 4
Bongani Madondo • Rofhiwa Maneta • Mubanga Kalimamukwento • Tymon Smith • Mbali Sikakana • Hedley Twidle • Sandile Ngidi…
A book written by a great writer who wants to be everything to everyone—Tymon Smith reviews Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Black Leopard, Red Wolf is a frustrating could’ve, would’ve, should’ve affair, although it may yet prove to be the beginning…
[Sponsored] ‘We are willing to forcefully change our society if the need arises’—Rekgotsofetse Chikane on #FeesMustFall
Rekgotsofetse Chikane, youth activist and author of Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation, spoke to The Reading List about the nature of…
Scenes from a Marriage for the Beyhive generation—Wamuwi Mbao reviews Ordinary People by Diana Evans
Wamuwi Mbao reviews Diana Evans’s novel Ordinary People, which has been longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction….
‘A literary con’—Hedley Twidle rereads Familiarity is the Kingdom of the Lost by Dugmore Boetie, the joker in the pack of Sophiatown-era life writing
In this excerpt from his forthcoming book on non-fiction in South African literature, Experiments with Truth, Hedley Twidle revisits Dugmore…
[Sponsored] Gangster State by Pieter-Louis Myburgh—the explosive new book unravelling Ace Magashule’s web of capture
Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule’s Web of Capture by Pieter-Louis Myburgh is available now from Penguin Random House. In spite of Cyril Ramaphosa’s…
This is how we lost him—Bongani Madondo and Rofhiwa Maneta remember K Sello Duiker
K Sello Duiker emerged on the African literary scene with a visceral two-punch combo, the novels Thirteen Cents (2000) and…
[The JRB exclusive] Read an excerpt from Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s Dinaane Debut Fiction Award-winning novel, The Mourning Bird
The JRB presents an excerpt from Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s forthcoming novel, The Mourning Bird. The Mourning Bird, which was the winner of this…
[Sponsored] What happens when the last breath stops? Read an excerpt from The Blackridge House by Julia Martin
Jonathan Ball Publishers has shared an extract from The Blackridge House by Julia Martin. The Blackridge House is a meditation on…
Is South African literature perceived as insular? Mbali Sikakana talks to Michael Barron of Melville House Publishing
Despite a strong heritage stretching back more than a century, South African fiction remains largely unfamiliar—apart from a handful of…
[The JRB digital exclusive] Read Issue #1 of eMagqumeni: Place of the Hills, a new graphic novel by Nathi Ngubane and Azad Essa
The JRB presents the digital debut of eMagqumeni: Place of the Hills, a new graphic novel by Nathi Ngubane and Azad…
[Sponsored] Vagabond—Lerato Mogoatlhe’s hilarious and honest account of her five years of living as a drifter in Africa
Vagabond: Wandering Through Africa on Faith by Lerato Mogoatlhe is out from BlackBird Books in April 2019! ‘Sometime in November 2007…
Three new poems by Sandile Ngidi
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Sandile Ngidi. Don’t Tell Me Anything Now Brenda’s on stage,…
Heat, hunger and hidden spots—Sifiso Mzobe introduces Niq Mhlongo to Durban
Sifiso Mzobe shows his fellow scribe, and JRB City Editor, Niq Mhlongo around his hometown of Durban during the Time…
[New short fiction] ‘Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!’ by A Bouna Guazong, excerpted from Of Passion and Ink: New Voices from Cameroon
The JRB presents an excerpt from Of Passion and Ink: New Voices from Cameroon, a collection of short stories forthcoming…
Read an excerpt from Athena Farrokhzad’s award-winning poetry collection White Blight
The JRB presents excerpts from White Blight by Swedish poet Athena Farrokhzad, translated by Jennifer Hayashida. White Blight is published…
[Photo Editor] Original portraits of Charl-Pierre Naudé and Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali by Victor Dlamini
Victor Dlamini is The JRB’s Photo Editor. We feature his work on our Instagram channel. Visit the ten-year retrospective of…
Gideon Mendel’s ‘Damage’ exhibition of photographs from 1980s South Africa launched at the Apartheid Museum
The cover image for the April 2019 issue of The JRB is by Gideon Mendel, from his new exhibition ‘Damage’. Born…
Finalists announced for Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique, awarded to a book written in French and published by an African author
The six finalists for the Prix Orange du Livre en Afrique have been revealed. The new prize was announced late…
English translation published of Yolande Mukagasana’s personal testimony of the Rwandan Genocide, Not My Time To Die
Kigali-based Huza Press has just released the English translation of Yolande Mukagasana’s Not My Time To Die, translated by Zoe Norridge….
[The JRB Daily] Commemorate Human Rights Day with an exclusive excerpt from Lie on Your Wounds: The Prison Correspondence of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe
Header image: Book cover (left); and Sobukwe, inside the grounds of Orlando Police Station, awaiting arrest, on the morning of 21…
[The JRB Daily] 2019 Man Booker International Prize longlist announced—women and independent publishers dominate
The longlist for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize has been announced. Thirteen novels are in contention for the prize,…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 3, Issue 3
Bongani Madondo • Rustum Kozain • Lebohang Mojapelo • Troy Onyango • Victor Dlamini • Niq Mhlongo • Ngwatilo Mawiyoo…
‘Baldwin the symbol of black transgression and global black anger is simply peerless’—Bongani Madondo on If Beale Street Could Talk, the book and Oscar-winning film
James Baldwin’s novel of half a century ago, If Beale Street Could Talk, now reissued by Penguin Random House, was…
[Sponsored] Calling all South African poets, writing in any of South Africa’s official languages: Enter the 2019 Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award
The Jacana Literary Foundation (JLF) is pleased to announce that submissions for the ninth annual Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry…
Illuminating a mighty poet and a total artist—Rustum Kozain reviews Dread Poetry and Freedom: Linton Kwesi Johnson and the Unfinished Revolution
The JRB Poetry Editor Rustum Kozain reviews David Austin’s new book Dread Poetry and Freedom: Linton Kwesi Johnson and the Unfinished Revolution, finding…
Showcasing African literature’s contribution to decolonisation—Lebohang Mojapelo reviews Ngũgĩ: Reflections on His Life of Writing
Lebohang Mojapelo reviews Ngũgĩ: Reflections on His Life of Writing, a collection of essays that reflects on the life and work of Ngũgĩ…
[Sponsored] ‘One of the joys of writing is that you can build bridges between people’ – Carol Campbell on her new book, The Tortoise Cried Its Only Tear
Penguin Random House has shared a video interview with award-winning author Carol Campbell, talking about The Tortoise Cried Its Only Tear,…
[City Editor] Niq Mhlongo’s township etiquette—an irreverent guide to Soweto, my hood
Forget about Vilakazi Street, Soweto is deeper than that. When you get off the taxi and you’re a smoker, buy…
[The JRB Daily] 2018 Short Story Day Africa Prize longlist announced
The longlist for the Short Story Day Africa Prize for Short Fiction has been announced. The prize was founded in…
[Sponsored] Rebels and Rage: Reflecting on #FeesMustFall – Adam Habib’s characteristically frank take on the recent student protests
In Rebels and Rage: Reflecting on #FeesMustFall, Adam Habib, prominent and outspoken university official during the recent student protests, takes a…
New short fiction: ‘Origami’ by Troy Onyango
The JRB presents a new short story by Troy Onyango. ~~~ Origami First, he plucks a small part of himself…
Two new poems by Ngwatilo Mawiyoo
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Ngwatilo Mawiyoo. Edith And Umau I’ve returned from America because…
[Sponsored] ‘Expect a lot … you won’t be disappointed’—The Accident, the new novel by Gail Schimmel, is out now [PLUS: Book Club competition]
Gail Schimmel’s new novel The Accident is out in March 2019 from Pan Macmillan! The Accident is the fourth novel from Gail Schimmel,…
