Gus Ferguson, 1940—2020, RIP
The publisher, poet, cartoonist and humourist Gus Ferguson has died in Cape Town. Born in 1940 in Scotland, Ferguson moved…
Author: The JRB
[The JRB Daily] Top 10 of 2020—a look back at our most popular articles of the year
This December marked the The JRB’s forty-second issue, the final issue of our fourth volume. With the new year just…
[Sponsored] Listen to an excerpt from the audiobook of Shuggie Bain, the Booker Prize-winning debut novel by Douglas Stuart
Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain is the talk of the town, after it was recently awarded the 2020 Booker Prize. ‘This heartfelt and…
[Sponsored] Listen to an excerpt from Susanna Clarke’s new novel Piranesi, read by Chiwetel Ejiofor
Jonathan Ball Publishers has shared an excerpt from the audiobook of Piranesi—the new novel from Susanna Clarke, the bestselling author of Jonathan…
[Sponsored] Read an excerpt from Miss Benson’s Beetle—a funny, heartwarming and magical read that’ll lift your spirits
Penguin Random House SA has shared an excerpt from Miss Benson’s Beetle, an uplifting and redemptive story of a glorious female…
[Sponsored] Career opportunity: LAPA Publishers is hiring a Christian publisher! Apply before 23 December 2020
LAPA Publishers (a division of Penguin Random House South Africa), has a vacancy for a qualified and dynamic individual to…
[Sponsored] The how-to-self-publish guide—a Jacana Masterclass (12 Dec)
Jacana Media brings you The How-to-Self-Publish Guide—a Masterclass for those looking to do it for themselves, but who are too…
[Sponsored] Listen to an excerpt from Mantel Pieces—a collection of essays and memoir from twice Booker Prize winner and international bestseller Hilary Mantel
Mantel Pieces by Hilary Mantel is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers. In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in…
‘This is where all the light in the world has settled’—Read an excerpt from The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
The JRB presents an excerpt from Maaza Mengiste’s novel The Shadow King, shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize for Fiction. The…
[Sponsored] Find out more about ‘superstar author’ Angela Makholwa’s new novel Critical But, Stable
Critical But, Stable, the new novel from bestselling author Angela Makholwa, is out now from Pan Macmillan. ‘It’s Angela’s wit…
‘A unique trick of the combination of love and time; the ability to keep one young’—Read an excerpt from Bolu Babalola’s debut collection of short stories, Love in Colour
The JRB presents an excerpt from Love in Colour, the debut collection of short stories by Bolu Babalola Love in…
‘We touch down, and I pray for the land of my ancestors to be good to me’—Read an excerpt from No Be From Hia by Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda
The JRB presents an excerpt from No Be From Hia, the debut novel by Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda. No Be From…
[Sponsored] Watch Barack Obama introducing his presidential memoir A Promised Land
A Promised Land is a riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe…
[Sponsored] Celebrate African literature across social media during #ReadingAfrica Week 2020 (6–12 Dec)
LAPA Publishers and Catalyst Press invite you to join in and share the best in African literature this 2020 Reading…
‘As much as you want to have sex with a stranger, this is mostly research’—Read an excerpt from ‘The Fool’, new writing by Nakhane, from Exhale: Queer African Erotic Fiction
The JRB presents an excerpt from ‘The Fool’ by Nakhane, from Exhale, a new anthology of queer writing. Exhale: Queer…
‘I had got involved with Dambudzo Marechera’—Read an excerpt from Flora Veit-Wild’s new memoir, They Called You Dambudzo
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from They Called You Dambudzo: A Memoir by Flora Veit-Wild. They Called You Dambudzo:…
[Sponsored] New book alert! Sol Plaatje’s Mhudi: History, Criticism, Celebration by Sabata-mpho Mokae and Brian Willan
Sol Plaatje’s Mhudi: History, Criticism, Celebration by Sabata-mpho Mokae and Brian Willan is out in November from Jacana Media! Celebrating the…
‘Sometimes I would think, They had better interrogate me. At least there was contact.’—Read an excerpt from Women in Solitary: Inside the Female Resistance to Apartheid by Shanthini Naidoo
The JRB presents an excerpt from Shanthini Naidoo’s book Women in Solitary: Inside the Female Resistance to Apartheid. Women in…
‘The morning that followed was crisp and clear. The air was sweet as only after slaughter’—Read an excerpt from Shanice Ndlovu’s debut collection of short stories, The Pride of Noonlay
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Pride of Noonlay, the debut collection of short stories by Shanice Ndlovu. The…
[Sponsored] ‘This story is bigger than me, it’s bigger than all of us’—Read an excerpt from So, for the Record: Behind the Headlines in an Era of State Capture by Anton Harber
Jonathan Ball Publishers has shared an excerpt from So, for the Record: Behind the Headlines in an Era of State Capture by…
[Sponsored] Read an exclusive excerpt from A Family Affair, the new novel from bestselling author Sue Nyathi
A Family Affair, the new novel by bestselling author Sue Nyathi, will be out from Pan Macmillan in October 2020! ‘A…
[Sponsored] New book alert! VBS: A Dream Defrauded by Dewald van Rensburg—a compelling account of the epic VBS Mutual Bank heist
VBS: A Dream Defrauded by Dewald van Rensburg is out now from Penguin Random House. Originally the Venda Building Society, VBS…
[Sponsored] Book excerpt: Bouwer Bosch shares his secrets to success in Conversations with Influencers by Elma Smit
In Conversations with Influencers, the ebook companion to Become an Influencer, leading, verified influencers, as well as advertising strategists, reveal the secrets,…
[Sponsored] Watch a powerful conversation on Femme Erasure: Our Queer Undoing, with Dr Bev Ditsie, Mona Eltahawy and Jamil F Khan
Jacana Media hosted a Don’t Shut Up Conversation titled ‘Femme Erasure: Our Queer Undoing’ recently. Watch the recording below. Throughout…
‘Johannesburg swallowed my father whole’—Read an excerpt from ‘Feasting’ by Sibongile Fisher, excerpted from the new anthology Joburg Noir
The JRB presents an excerpt from Joburg Noir, a new collection of short stories edited by Niq Mhlongo, out at…
Read ‘Ugly Noo-Noos and Suburban Nightmares’ by Nicky Falkof, excerpted from Anxious Joburg: The Inner Lives of a Global South City
Nicky Falkof considers the Parktown prawn as a metaphor for the anxieties of apartheid and post-apartheid suburban life, in an…
‘Never before have both the past and the future seemed so out of reach’—Read an excerpt from Zoë Wicomb’s new novel Still Life
The JRB presents an excerpt from Still Life, the latest novel from Zoë Wicomb. Still LifeZoë WicombUmuzi, 2020 Read the…
[The JRB Daily] Namwali Serpell’s The Old Drift wins the 2020 Arthur C Clarke Award
Update 25 Sep 20: Serpell has donated her prize money to bail funds for protestors in the United States who…
[The JRB Daily] The 2020 Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist is announced—including Tsitsi Dangarembga and Maaza Mengiste
The 2020 Booker Prize shortlist has been revealed—and includes two African authors for the first time in years: Tsitsi Dangarembga…
‘The beginning of an adventure’—Read the late George Bizos’s account of his escape from Nazi-occupied Greece as a child, from his memoir Odyssey To Freedom
The JRB presents an excerpt from Odyssey To Freedom, the memoir of the late George Bizos. Bizos passed away in…
Myesha Jenkins, 1948—2020, RIP
The pioneering poet and activist Myesha Jenkins died in Johannesburg on Saturday, 5 September, 2020. Jenkins moved to South Africa…
Achmat Dangor, 1948—2020, RIP
The poet, novelist and activist—and founding patron of The JRB—Achmat Dangor, died in Johannesburg earlier today. One of the founding…
[Sponsored] How to get published in South Africa—Watch Pan Macmillan SA and All About Writing’s publishing webinar
Did you miss the webinar by Pan Macmillan South Africa and All About Writing on how to understand and navigate…
[Sponsored] Read ‘When my mother came to stay’—Read an excerpt from Yaa Gyasi’s new novel, Transcendent Kingdom (Plus: Interview)
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[Sponsored] Listen to an excerpt from Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell—A tale of dreams, drugs, love, and madness, and of fame’s Faustian pact
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[Sponsored] Job alert! LAPA Publishers is looking for two innovative marketers to join its dynamic team (Closing date: 31 Aug)
LAPA Publishers, a division of Penguin Random House SA, has a career opportunity for a marketer in its trade and…
[Sponsored] Gerald Kraak call for submissions—An anthology and prize on the topics of gender, human rights and sexuality, for writers and photographers across Africa
The Jacana Literary Foundation (JLF) and the Other Foundation are pleased to announce that submissions for the fourth annual Gerald Kraak…
Listen to Makhosazana Xaba on the WiSER Podcast—An absent presence: Writing Noni Jabavu’s life
Makhosazana Xaba was recently featured on the WiSER Podcast, discussing the life and work of Noni Jabavu, editor, memoirist, reader,…
‘Bessie Head’s work jolted me awake … I had not thought it possible that a black woman could be a writer’—Read an excerpt from Barbara Boswell’s new book, And Wrote My Story Anyway
The JRB presents an excerpt from the Author’s Preface of And Wrote My Story Anyway: Black South African Women’s Novels…
‘We didn’t fight a revolution to stay inside’—Read an excerpt from Mark Gevisser’s new book The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers, the new book by Mark…