Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, 1938—2025, RIP
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, literary giant and cultural revolutionary, died on 28 May, 2025, aged eighty-seven. Ngũgĩ was one of Africa’s…
Author: Jennifer Malec
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 9, Issue 1 (March 2025)
Finuala Dowling • Hassana Moosa • Shayera Dark • Wamuwi Mbao • Sean Jacobs • Seitlhamo Thabo Motsapi • Sihle…
‘An incisive portrait of a society grappling with change’—Jennifer Malec reviews Iris Mwanza’s debut novel The Lions’ Den
The Lions’ Den by Iris Mwanza is a historical thriller that reaches into many different corners of its characters’ lives,…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 8, Issue 4 (December 2024)—the Stranger than Fiction Issue!
Yewande Omotoso • Mandla Langa • Karen Jennings • Simon van Schalkwyk • Masiyaleti Mbewe • Wamuwi Mbao • Werner…
‘Johannesburg provokes extreme responses, one way or the other, because it’s full of contradictions’—An interview with Ivan Vladislavic about his new book The Near North
JRB Editor Jennifer Malec interviews The JRB Patron Ivan Vladislavić about his new book, The Near North. The Near NorthIvan VladislavićPicador Africa, 2024…
[The JRB Daily] Gabrielle Mudiwa awarded inaugural Achmat Dangor Literary Prize
Gabrielle Mudiwa has won the first ever Achmat Dangor Literary Prize, an award dedicated to nurturing young, previously disadvantaged writers…
[The JRB Daily] Samantha Harvey wins the 2024 Booker Prize for her ‘compact yet beautifully expansive’ novel Orbital
Header image: Courtesy of the Booker Prize British author Samantha Harvey has won the 2024 Booker Prize for her novel Orbital….
[The JRB Daily] 2024 South African Literary Awards winners announced
The winners of the 2024 South African Literary Awards (the SALAs) have been announced. The SALAs are awarded annually by…
[The JRB Daily] Jonny Steinberg and Andrew Brown win the 2024 Sunday Times Literary Awards
The winners of the 2024 Sunday Times Literary Awards have been announced. Jonny Steinberg won the Sunday Times Non-fiction Award…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 8, Issue 3 (October 2024)
Shayera Dark • Wamuwi Mbao • Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu • Makhosazana Xaba • Tariro Ndoro • Nozizwe Cynthia Jele •…
‘The readers are there, but we’re still figuring out the right distribution model to reach them’—Nozizwe Cynthia Jele introduces her new isiZulu-focused publisher, Happiness Books
Author Nozizwe Cynthia Jele has recently launched a publishing company, Happiness Books, which will specialise in books written in isiZulu. …
The treachery and tenacity of fraternal devotion—Jennifer Malec reviews Sally Rooney’s new novel, Intermezzo
In Intermezzo, sexual tension and spiky wit give way to a deeper sense of tenderness and a lighter brand of…
‘I was fascinated by the idea of women existing beyond the confines of the patriarchy and colonialism’—An interview with Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu on The Creation of Half-Broken People
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu chats to JRB Editor Jennifer Malec about her new novel, The Creation of Half-Broken People. The Creation of Half-Broken…
[The JRB Daily] South Korean author Han Kang receives the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to fifty-three-year-old South Korean novelist Han Kang. Han, whose works include The Vegetarian,…
[The JRB Daily] Morabo Morojele and Jarred Thompson win 2024 UJ Prizes for South African Writing in English for ‘masterful’ and ‘extraordinarily original’ novels
Morabo Morojele and Jarred Thompson have been announced as the winners of the 2024 University of Johannesburg Prizes for South…
[The JRB Daily] ‘The fault lines of our times are here’—2024 Booker Prize shortlist announced
The 2024 Booker Prize shortlist has been announced, offering ‘a diversity of perspective, style and subject matter’. First awarded in…
[The JRB Daily] ‘A triumph of language, storytelling and risk-taking’—South African writer Nadia Davids wins 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing
South African writer Nadia Davids has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing! The…
[The JRB Daily] 2024 Sunday Times Literary Awards shortlists announced
The shortlists for the 2024 Sunday Times Literary Awards have been revealed. The two awards—the Non-fiction Award and the Fiction…
[The JRB Daily] Shortlists announced for 2024 UJ Prizes for South African Writing in English
Header image: Wisani Mushwana, Siphokazi Magadla, Jarred Thompson, Nthikeng Mohlele, Buntu Siwisa, Morabo Morojele The shortlists for the annual University…
[The JRB Daily] ‘Inspiring new generations of literary talent’—Call for applications for the 2024 Achmat Dangor Literary Prize
Applications for the 2024 Achmat Dangor Literary Prize, an award dedicated to nurturing young, previously disadvantaged writers working in all…
[The JRB Daily] Caine Prize reveals 2024 shortlist, and plans to ‘re-centre the announcement on the African continent’
The shortlist for the 2024 Caine Prize for African Writing, awarded annually for a short story by an African writer…
[The JRB Daily] ‘Global voices, strong voices and new voices’—2024 Booker Prize longlist announced, including American born British–Libyan writer Hisham Matar
The 2024 Booker Prize longlist has been announced, featuring ‘blackly comic page-turners, multigenerational epics, meditations on the pain of exile—plus…
[The JRB Daily] Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani wins the 2024 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award for her ‘astonishingly fresh and accomplished’ novel Buried in the Chest
Lindani Mbunyuza-Memani has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award, for her novel manuscript ‘Buried…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 8, Issue 2 (June 2024)
Makhosazana Xaba • Busisiwe Mahlangu • Shayera Dark • Percy Zvomuya • Wamuwi Mbao • Jennifer Malec • Niq Mhlongo…
‘Joburg is like a jilted lover’—Niq Mhlongo talks to Jennifer Malec about his latest novel, The City is Mine
Niq Mhlongo chats to JRB Editor Jennifer Malec about his new novel, The City is Mine, and the changes he’s…
[The JRB Daily] ‘The punch of a good short story leaves you breathless’—2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize regional winners announced
Header image: Reena Usha Rungoo, Sanjana Thakur, Julie Bouchard, Portia Subran, Pip Robertson The regional winners of the 2024 Commonwealth…
[The JRB Daily] ‘Both beautiful and uncomfortable, personal and political’—Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann, wins 2024 International Booker Prize
Jenny Erpenbeck’s novel Kairos, translated by Michael Hofmann, has been announced as the winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize….
[The JRB Daily] 2024 HSS Awards winners announced—honouring ‘outstanding works of literature and the arts’
The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) has announced the winners of the ninth annual HSS Awards,…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 8, Issue 1 (February 2024, the Conversation Issue)
Makhosazana Xaba • Wamuwi Mbao • Danai Mupotsa • Sanya Osha • Tan Twan Eng • Jennifer Malec • Uhuru…
[Conversation Issue] ‘I don’t want to tell my reader what to feel; I want to make them feel’—Tan Twan Eng chats to Jennifer Malec about his new novel The House of Doors
Tan Twan Eng’s third novel, The House of Doors, was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and has just been longlisted…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 7, Issue 5 (December 2023, the Fiction Issue)
Makhosazana Xaba • Masiyaleti Mbewe • Wamuwi Mbao • Jarred Thompson • Simon van Schalkwyk • Franki Jenkins • Werner…
[The JRB Daily] Paul Lynch wins the 2023 Booker Prize for his ‘soul-shattering and true’ novel Prophet Song
Paul Lynch has won the 2023 Booker Prize for his novel Prophet Song. He receives £50,000 and was presented with…
[The JRB Daily] 2023 South African Literary Awards winners announced
The winners of the 2023 South African Literary Awards (the SALAs) have been announced. The SALAs are awarded annually by…
[The JRB Daily] Bulelwa Mabasa and CA Davids win the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards
The winners of the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards have been announced. Bulelwa Mabasa has won the Non-fiction Award for…
[The JRB Daily] Henrietta Rose-Innes wins 2023 UJ Prize for Literary Translation
Henrietta Rose-Innes has been awarded the prestigious UJ Prize for Literary Translation, for her translation of Etienne van Heerden’s novel…
[The JRB Daily] 2023 South African Literary Awards shortlists announced
The shortlists for the 2023 South African Literary Awards have been announced. The SALAs are awarded annually by the wRite…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 7, Issue 4 (October 2023)
Wamuwi Mbao • Makhosazana Xaba • vangile gantsho • Zikhona Valela • Fungai Machirori • Irene Staunton • Sanya Osha…
[The JRB Daily] Norwegian author and dramatist Jon Fosse receives the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature
The 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to Norwegian playwright, novelist and poet Jon Fosse. The Swedish Academy said the…
[The JRB Daily] Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo become first Senegalese writers to win Caine Prize for African Writing
Senegalese writers Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo have been awarded the 2023 Caine Prize for African Writing for their…
[The JRB Daily] 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards shortlists announced
The shortlists for the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Awards have been revealed. The two awards—the Non-fiction Award and the Fiction…