[Sponsored] Two new books, from Tumelo Buthelezi and Ijangolet S Ogwang, out soon from BlackBird Books
BlackBird Books has announced two new publications. The Last Sentence, the debut novel by Tumelo Buthelezi, and An Image in…
Author: The JRB
[Audio] It’s a writer’s life: That hilarious time Zukiswa Wanner encountered her own book in a Joburg taxi
Zukiswa Wanner launched her latest book, Hardly Working: A Travel Memoir of Sorts, in Johannesburg at African Flavour Books recently, in…
Letter: Christine Chiosi on the ‘discomfort’ and ‘estrangement’ of Wamuwi Mbao’s report from an exhibition of JM Coetzee’s boyhood photographs
This is an edited version of a letter The JRB received, from Christine Chiosi, in response to the essay by…
‘I am me; I am black; I must be proud of my blackness.’—Read an excerpt from Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s memoir, 491 Days: Prisoner Number 1323/69
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela has died in Johannesburg at the age of eighty-one. Read an excerpt from her prison journal, published in 2013,…
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, 1936–2018, RIP
Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela-Mandela, the iconic, controversial South African activist known as ‘the Mother of the Nation’ and, more simply, as…
[Sponsored] ‘Johannesburg is both a place that I know and don’t know’: An interview with Stephen Clingman about his memoir, Birthmark
Stephen Clingman chats to The Reading List about his memoir, Birthmark, published by Jacana Media. The Reading List: Thank you very…
‘What does the K in your name stand for?’ Read an excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s new novel, Michael K
The JRB is proud to present an exclusive excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s new novel, Michael K. Michael K Nthikeng Mohlele Picador…
[Sponsored] Win a copy of The Fatuous State of Severity by Phumlani Pikoli
‘Hauntingly engaging’ – Thandiwe Ntshinga, The South African ‘Crisp, experimental and beautifully weird’ – Phumlani S Langa, City Press Pan…
[Sponsored] Like Sodium in Water, a memoir of post-independence Zimbabwe by Hayden Eastwood
Like Sodium in Water: A Memoir of Home and Heartache by Hayden Eastwood is out in March from Jonathan Ball Publishers. ‘Dad…
[Sponsored] Twists that will shock even the savviest reader: Read an excerpt from The Chalk Man, the debut novel by CJ Tudor
Penguin Random House has shared an excerpt from The Chalk Man, the new novel by CJ Tudor. Expertly alternating between flashbacks…
‘Spending time with Bra Willie is the closest thing to being in touch with the soul of this country’: Read Mandla Langa’s Introduction to Keorapetse Kgositsile’s Homesoil in My Blood
Homesoil in My Blood: A Trilogy Keorapetse Kgositsile Xarra Books, 2018 Exclusive to The JRB, we present author Mandla Langa’s…
Is Cyril Ramaphosa the man to lead South Africa out of its political and economic crisis? Read an excerpt from Ramaphosa: The Man Who Would Be King by Ray Hartley
The JRB presents an excerpt from Ramaphosa: The Man Who Would Be King by Ray Hartley. Ramaphosa: The Man Who…
[Sponsored] ‘A Woman’s Place is in The Struggle’—Read an excerpt from The Knock on the Door
Pan Macmillan South Africa has shared an excerpt from The Knock on the Door: The Story of the Detainees’ Parents Support…
[Sponsored] Read the opening chapters of Peter Carey’s new book A Long Way From Home
A Long Way From Home, the new book from award-winning author Peter Carey, is out soon from Jonathan Ball Publishers….
[Sponsored] Mozambique and Brazil: Analysing and investigating a historical relationship
Brazil and Mozambique: Forging New Partnerships or Developing Dependency?, by Chris Alden, Sergio Chichava and Ana Cristina Alves, is out now from Jacana…
‘These were not men fighting, but corpses’—Read an excerpt from Marcus Low’s Asylum
Read an excerpt from Marcus Low’s debut novel Asylum—an existential thriller set in a quarantine facility in the arid Karoo—which…
[Sponsored] ‘Good writing inspires creativity!’ – Mary Lynn Bracht chats about her debut novel, White Chrysanthemum
White Chrysanthemum, the powerful and moving debut novel by Mary Lynn Bracht, is out now from Penguin Random House South Africa. In…
[Sponsored] Read an excerpt from Wake Me When I’m Gone, the second novel by Nigerian author Odafe Atogun
Odafe Atogun is one of the most exciting new literary voices in contemporary African writing. His debut novel, Taduno’s Song, was…
[Sponsored] First look at Knucklebone, the debut novel from Nechama Brodie
Nechama Brodie’s debut novel Knucklebone will be published by Pan Macmillan in February! The book comes highly recommended by Sarah…
[Sponsored] What went so badly wrong with land restitution? A new book investigates
A new book titled Rights to Land: A Guide to Tenure Upgrading and Restitution in South Africa, by William Beinart,…
[Sponsored] Listen to an audio book preview of The Demon Crown: The new Sigma Force novel by James Rollins
The Demon Crown is the new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins, the latest riveting and…
New short fiction: Fred Khumalo’s debut isiZulu short story ‘Kwakungcono eGibhithe’, from the anthology Izinkanyezi Ezintsha
The JRB presents new fiction from novelist and memoirist Fred Khumalo. This a first for both The JRB and Khumalo:…
[In Memoriam] Watch a video of Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile on the importance of platforms for African literature
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents footage in memoriam of South Africa’s National Poet Laureate, Keorapetse Kgositsile, who passed away…
[Sponsored] Listen to an excerpt from The Sparsholt Affair, the masterly new novel from Alan Hollinghurst
Pan Macmillan has shared an excerpt from audiobook of The Sparsholt Affair, the highly anticipated new novel from Alan Hollinghurst….
[Sponsored] Jacques Pauw’s groundbreaking book In the Heart of the Whore: The Story of Apartheid’s Death Squads
Jacques Pauw’s groundbreaking book In the Heart of the Whore: The Story of Apartheid’s Death Squads, originally published in 1991, has…
[Sponsored] First look at Under Glass, the new novel from Claire Robertson
Penguin Random House South Africa has revealed details of the new Claire Robertson novel, to be released in January 2018. Robertson…
[Sponsored] Read an excerpt from New Times, the new novel from award-winning author Rehana Rossouw
Courtesy of Jacana Media, an excerpt from New Times, the much-anticipated new novel from Rehana Rossouw. Rossouw is the acclaimed…
‘Should we let fiction die a natural death? No.’—Andrew Miller argues for the importance of writing stories in a time of digital disorder
Comment for The JRB’s inaugural Fiction Issue by novelist Andrew Miller. ~ ~ ~ One of the most interesting aspects…
[Fiction issue] An excerpt from Imagine Ghosts Telling Tales in front of Smoky Mirrors, the debut novel by SL Masunda
Exclusive to The JRB, an excerpt from the debut novel of Zimbabwean author SL Masunda. Imagine Ghosts Telling Tales in…
The JRB Vol. 1, Issue 8 cover image features a photograph from Johannesburg. Made in China
The JRB cover image this week comes from Johannesburg. Made in China, the ninth book of Fourthwall Books’s acclaimed series Wake Up,…
[The JRB Daily] The Caine Prize wasn’t what I thought it would be: Efemia Chela traces the real value of big literary prizes
In a piece for the Caine Prize blog titled ‘An Unexpected Prize’, Efemia Chela describes how losing out on the…
[The JRB Daily] He seemed invincible: Petina Gappah reflects on Robert Mugabe’s rule
Writing for the New Yorker, The JRB Editorial Advisory Panel member Petina Gappah contemplates ‘How Zimbabwe Freed Itself From Robert Mugabe’. Mugabe’s resignation…
[The JRB Daily] Dove, Lifebuoy and apartheid: Panashe Chigumadzi considers soap’s hidden significance in the control of black bodies
The New York Review of Books has featured an article by Panashe Chigumadzi, titled ‘Soap and South Africa’s “Fatal Intimacy”‘….
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 1, Issue 7 (November 2017)
Welcome to the seventh issue of The Johannesburg Review of Books. This month, it gives me great pleasure to announce…
[Sponsored] South Africans are not buying local fiction: Jacana Media aims to Save Our Stories
Jacana Media has kicked off an project called Storied, which aims to help African stories thrive—long term—and reach worldwide audiences….
[Sponsored] ‘No wallet, no ID, no credit cards.’ Read an excerpt from Johan Vlok Louw’s new novel A Gap in the Hedge
Read an excerpt from A Gap in the Hedge – the new South African novel that everyone is talking about….
[Sponsored] New book alert! Bantu Holomisa: The Gamechanger
Bantu Holomisa: The Gamechanger, an authorised biography by Eric Naki, is out from Pan Macmillan South Africa in November. The…
[Sponsored] Fiction is like dreaming: Jennifer Egan chats about her latest book, Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach is the long-awaited novel from Jennifer Egan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad. Manhattan…
Read an excerpt from the first full-length biography of Christopher Okigbo, a cult hero for a new wave of young African writers
Exclusive to The JRB, an excerpt from the newly published first-ever biography of the Nigerian poet Christopher Okigbo: Christopher Okigbo 1930—67, Thirsting…
The JRB Vol. 1, Issue 7 cover image features a photograph from Johannesburg In Your Pocket
Our November issue’s cover image comes from Johannesburg In Your Pocket. The photograph features Clive van den Berg’s sculpture The Eland,…