Credo Mutwa, 1921—2020, RIP
Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, renowned traditional healer, author, artist and philosopher, has died at the age of ninety-eight. Mutwa died at…
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[The JRB Daily] 2020 Windham–Campbell Prizes winners announced, including Zambian writer Namwali Serpell
Header image: Top row, left to right: Anne Boyer (non-fiction), Julia Cho (drama), Aleshea Harris (drama), and Bhanu Kapil (poetry);…
[The JRB Daily] 2020 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards winners announced, including Fiona Snyckers for Lacuna and Gabeba Baderoon for The History of Intimacy
The winners of the 2020 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards (HSS Awards) have been announced. The awards, now in their…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 4, Issue 3 (March 2020)
Vonani Bila • Ayanda Billie • Willem Anker • Angelo Fick • Rustum Kozain • Mukoma wa Ngugi • Carey…
Poetry of social obliteration and intimacy—Vonani Bila reviews KwaNobuhle Overcast, the new collection by award-winning poet Ayanda Billie
Vonani Bila considers KwaNobuhle Overcast, the latest book of poetry from Ayanda Billie, who won a South African Literary Award…
[Sponsored] Out today! Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light—the brilliant conclusion to the award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy
‘If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?’ The Mirror and the Light—the triumphant conclusion…
‘I had to choose which “truth” would suit the story best’—Willem Anker chats to Jennifer Malec about his novel Red Dog
The JRB Editor Jennifer Malec talks to Willem Anker about his novel Red Dog, which was recently longlisted for the…
JM Coetzee celebrates his 80th birthday in Makhanda—festivities offer a glimpse into the life of John Coetzee, the man, who engenders JM Coetzee, the writer
To honour JM Coetzee’s eightieth birthday on 9 February 2020, an exhibition celebrating his life and work titled Scenes from…
[Sponsored] Bill Gates honours author and doctor Kopano Matlwa Mabaso’s ‘incredible’ work in his ‘Heroes in the Field’ campaign
Kopano Matlwa Mabaso‘s work with under-nourished children has caught the attention of business magnate and philanthropist Bill Gates. Matlwa Mabaso…
‘I am quite normal. I just wonder what JM Coetzee would taste like, slow-roasted, with tarragon.’—Read ‘The man who would be eaten’ by Rustum Kozain
The following piece was written in 2006, since when it has been languishing on the author’s blog. It was revived…
New short fiction: ‘Ugborikoko’ by Jerry Chiemeke—The JRB’s Pidgin English debut
The JRB presents new short fiction by Jerry Chiemeke. The piece is written in Warri Pidgin English, a dialect of…
[Sponsored] Cover reveal! Two Months, the new ‘must-read’ psychological thriller by Gail Schimmel
‘A must-read psychological thriller that will have you questioning every angle of “reality”. Unpredictable and compelling.’ – Angela Makholwa, bestselling author…
[The JRB exclusive] Read an excerpt from the new African edition of We, the Scarred by Mukoma wa Ngugi
The JRB presents an excerpt from We, the Scarred by Mukoma wa Ngugi. The novel, which tells the story of…
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor’s weight of whispers—Carey Baraka considers Dust, The Dragonfly Sea and a novelist’s mission to retell the ‘vile things’ of history
The Kenyan novel is not dead, writes Carey Baraka, as long as Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor keeps writing. 1. On June…
[Sponsored] ‘That was the last day I ever saw Africa while alive.’ Read an excerpt from Rosanna Amaka’s searing debut, The Book of Echoes
Penguin Random House has shared an excerpt from The Book of Echoes by Rosanna Amaka. The Book of Echoes is the sweeping, uplifting…
‘Nipple Hair’, a new poem by Genna Gardini
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents a new poem by Genna Gardini. ~~~ Nipple Hair I used to pluck a…
‘We are African writers, we write as Africans and we share our books as Africans’—The tiny island of Mayotte has big plans for books, reports James Murua
The JRB Editorial Advisory Panel member James Murua reports back from his trip to the Salon du Livre de Mayotte, which took place…
[Sponsored] Penguin Random House South Africa acquires LAPA Publishers
Penguin Random House South Africa, a division of Penguin Random House and the largest English language publisher in South Africa,…
[Photo Editor] In memoriam: portraits of Harry Garuba and Shaun Johnson
Portraits by Victor Dlamini. Shaun Johnson and Harry Garuba both passed away last week. Read more here and here. Victor…
‘I do not manage my Africanness. I fight for it. I constantly have to defend it.’—Indo-Mauritian poet Moshumee T Dewoo talks to Ahmet Sait Akçay
Turkish author Ahmet Sait Akçay chats to Indo-Mauritian poet Moshumee T Dewoo about being denied Africanness, the hypocrisy of religion,…
Harry Garuba, 1958—2020, RIP
Professor Harry Garuba, renowned academic, author and poet, has died, aged sixty-one. Garuba passed away on the evening of 28…
[The JRB Daily] 2020 International Booker Prize longlist announced—including South African author Willem Anker, for his novel Red Dog, translated by Michiel Heyns
The longlisted books for the 2020 International Booker Prize have been revealed, featuring translations from eight languages, originating in Europe,…
[The JRB Daily] 2020 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards shortlists announced—in fiction, non-fiction and creative and digital work
The shortlists for the 2020 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards (HSS Awards) have been announced. The awards, now in their…
[The JRB Daily] ‘I wanted to release a story from a sealed box I had dragged around for decades’—Read an excerpt from Shaun Johnson’s award-winning novel The Native Commissioner
Award-winning author and renowned anti-apartheid journalist Shaun Johnson has died, aged sixty. Read: Shaun Johnson, 1959—2020, RIP Read an excerpt…
Shaun Johnson, 1959—2020, RIP
Shaun Johnson, award-winning author and renowned anti-apartheid journalist, has died, aged sixty. Johnson passed away suddenly on Monday, 24 February,…
[The JRB Daily] Rešoketšwe Manenzhe wins the 2020 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award for her novel manuscript Scatterlings
Rešoketšwe Manenzhe has been announced as the winner of the 2020 Dinaane Debut Fiction Award, for her novel manuscript Scatterlings….
[The JRB Daily] Mohale Mashigo receives the inaugural Philida Literary Award
Mohale Mashigo has received the inaugural Philida Literary Award, named in honour of the late author André Brink’s final published…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 4, Issue 2 (February 2020)
JM Coetzee • Fred Khumalo • Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin • Lebohang Mojapelo • Khadija Tracey Heeger • Khanya Mtshali •…
A powerful contribution towards the creation of a vitally needed counter-narrative of England—Wamuwi Mbao reviews Manchester Happened by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s new book Manchester Happened reflects the here-and-there double consciousness of living between Uganda and England, writes Wamuwi…
[Sponsored] Photo profile: A day in the life of wildlife guide, musician and author James Hendry
Author James Hendry takes us behind the scenes in the bush, where he lives, makes music and writes his books….
Contemplating South Africa’s coalition of traumas through the idea of lost language—Khanya Mtshali reviews Phumlani Pikoli’s Born Freeloaders
In Born Freeloaders, Phumlani Pikoli seeks to provide a meditation on how empire is constructed through language. But the language…
[Photo Editor] Original portraits of Lauren Beukes and Zapiro by Victor Dlamini
Victor Dlamini is The JRB’s Photo Editor. We feature his work on our Instagram channel. Visit this ten-year retrospective of his work. Visit victordlamini.com. Header…
[Sponsored] Find out more about The God Child, the debut novel from Ghanaian author Nana Oforiatta Ayim (Plus: Cape Town launch details)
The God Child by Nana Oforiatta Ayim, a coming-of-age story about a young girl finding her freedom in the midst…
[City Editor] Conjuring his images out of darkness—Lidudumalingani reflects on how the late Santu Mofokeng’s photographs are a kind of visual metaphor for Johannesburg
Johannesburg is a city that dances on the edges of elusive, and yet somehow Santu Mofokeng managed to contain it…
‘I experience a new type of fear every time I write’—Lebohang Mojapelo interviews exiled Sudanese author Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin
Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin is a bestselling, award-winning writer originally from Kassala in eastern Sudan, but currently based in Austria, where…
[Sponsored] Cover reveal! Mark Winkler’s forthcoming novel, Due South of Copenhagen
Due South of Copenhagen, the new novel from Mark Winkler, will be out from Umuzi in April! Due South of…
New short fiction: ‘Mr Big Stuff’ by Fred Khumalo
The JRB presents a new short story by Fred Khumalo. ~~~ Mr Big Stuff 1. Harry is butchering Barry White’s…
‘I come from’, a new poem by Khadija Tracey Heeger
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents a new poem by Khadija Tracey Heeger. ~~~ I come from I come from…
[Sponsored] ‘Your birth mother didn’t want you.’ Read an excerpt from Sacrificed, Chanette Paul’s US debut
Catalyst Press has shared an excerpt from Chanette Paul’s novel Sacrificed. Paul is a prolific Afrikaans author, and has written forty-one…
‘You look fancy for a girl who’s just going to the TAB.’ Read ‘The Outsider’ by Isabella Morris, excerpted from Fool’s Gold: Selected Modjaji Short Stories
The JRB presents an excerpt from Fool’s Gold: Selected Modjaji Short Stories, edited by Arja Salafranca. Since its inception in…