‘iCuriosity kubelungu iningi kabi’—Read an excerpt from Written Out: The Silencing of Regina Gelana Twala by Joel Cabrita
The JRB presents an excerpt from Joel Cabrita’s new book Written Out: The Silencing of Regina Gelana Twala. Written Out:…
Tag: Book Excerpts
‘Riotous Deathscapes charts a course of black life in vast deathscapes. It is a portrait of life among the dead’—an excerpt from Hugo ka Canham’s new book
The JRB presents an excerpt from Hugo ka Canham’s forthcoming book Riotous Deathscapes, to be published mid-May. Riotous DeathscapesHugo ka…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘Papa Mzimkulu dared me to find a woman more beautiful than my mother, said it was impossible’—Read an excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s new short story collection A Little Light
The JRB presents an excerpt from A Little Light, the forthcoming collection of short stories by Nthikeng Mohlele. A Little…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘He could tell something else was coming, something he could not name.’—Read an excerpt from Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s forthcoming novel, When We Were Fireflies
The JRB presents an excerpt from When We Were Fireflies, the forthcoming novel from acclaimed author Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. When…
‘With all these familiar horrors, who in the hell was going to believe in zombies?’—Read an excerpt from Nana Nkweti’s debut short story collection Walking on Cowrie Shells
The JRB presents an extract from ‘It Just Kills You Inside’, excerpted from Walking on Cowrie Shells, the debut short…
‘Her mother loved Angola more than she loved her daughter’—Read an excerpt from Yara Nakahanda Monteiro’s acclaimed novel Loose Ties
The JRB presents an excerpt from Yara Nakahanda Monteiro’s novel Loose Ties, translated from the Portuguese by Sandy Tamele, which…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘The boy’s eyes gleamed as if they were the only things in the entire world that belonged to him’—Read an excerpt from Troy Onyango’s debut For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings
The JRB presents an excerpt from For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings, the debut short story collection from Troy…
‘Michael stands at the edge of the world and looks up into the eternal stars’—Read an excerpt from David Ralph Viviers’s debut novel Mirage
The JRB presents an excerpt from Mirage, the debut novel by David Ralph Viviers. MirageDavid Ralph ViviersUmuzi, 2023 Read the…
‘Every African who has been paying attention to the global Covid-19 response is angry. Listen to us as we tell you why.’—Read an excerpt from Strange and Difficult Times
The JRB presents an excerpt from Strange and Difficult Times: Notes on a Global Pandemic by Nanjala Nyabola. Strange and…
‘Pajubá as Queer Articulation of the Black Atlantic’ by Caio Simões de Araújo—an excerpt from Changing Theory: Concepts from the Global South
The JRB presents an excerpt from Caio Simões de Araújo’s chapter ‘Pajubá’, from the new essay collection Changing Theory: Concepts…
[Fiction Issue] ‘The first child I born my legs still swung free on the odd occasion I had reason to sit ’pon a chair’—Read an excerpt from Yewande Omotoso’s work in progress
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from Nine Lives of The General, a work-in-progress by Yewande Omotoso. I only ever…
[Fiction Issue] ‘The night leaves a lot of room for the imagination’—Read an excerpt from Morabo Morojele’s forthcoming novel, Three Egg Dilemma
The JRB presents an excerpt from Three Egg Dilemma, the forthcoming novel from Morabo Morojele. Three Egg Dilemma,Morabo MorojeleJacana Media,…
[Fiction Issue] ‘The night leaves a lot of room for the imagination’—Read an excerpt from Po Bhattacharyya’s work in progress, Animal Behavior
The JRB presents an excerpt from Animal Behavior, a work in progress by Po Bhattacharyya. 1. In the beginning, I’m…
[Fiction Issue] ‘About guilt, if you spoke about guilt, there was no doubt’—Read an excerpt from Imraan Coovadia’s work in progress, An Enemy of the People
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from An Enemy of the People, a work-in-progress by Imraan Coovadia. So here too…
[Fiction Issue] ‘No one had told him that the monsters had long since come out of the shadows’—Read an excerpt from Sebastian Murdoch’s work in progress
The JRB presents an excerpt from a work-in-progress, Strange Vibrations, by Sebastian Murdoch. An hour later, Billy was back on the…
Poetry by Sarah Lubala, from A History of Disappearance
The JRB presents poetry from Sarah Lubala’s collection A History of Disappearance. A History of DisappearanceSarah LubalaBotsotso Publishing, 2022 6…
[Fiction Issue] ‘We can’t treat her here. You know the rules.’—Read an excerpt from Sue Nyathi’s latest novel An Angel’s Demise
The JRB presents an excerpt from An Angel’s Demise, the new novel from Sue Nyathi. An Angel’s DemiseSue NyathiPan Macmillan…
[Fiction Issue] ‘A Boer doesn’t flutter around a cloud of lightning bolts and thundercracks like a moth around a rotten apple’—Read an excerpt from Lodewyk G du Plessis’s debut novel The Dao of Daniel
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Dao of Daniel by Lodewyk G du Plessis, translated from the Afrikaans by…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘teachers’, a short story by Masande Ntshanga
The JRB presents a short story by Masande Ntshanga, never before published in English outside of the limited edition chapbook…
[Fiction Issue] ‘That boy is a snake, I’m telling you … A green snake in green grass’—Read an excerpt from Leye Adenle’s new novel Unfinished Business
The JRB presents an excerpt from Unfinished Business, the new Amaka thriller by Leye Adenle. Unfinished BusinessLeye AdenleCassava Republic Press,…
[Fiction Issue] Read ‘The Floating House’, an exclusive excerpt from Meron Hadero’s debut A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times, the debut collection of short…
[Fiction Issue] ‘There will be time to explore all of this during your stay’—Read an exclusive excerpt from Jarred Thompson’s forthcoming debut novel The Institute for Creative Dying
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from The Institute for Creative Dying, Jarred Thompson’s forthcoming debut novel, which will be…
[Fiction Issue] ‘I would be dead if not for books’—Read an excerpt from Hemley Boum’s prize-winning novel Days Come and Go
The JRB presents an excerpt from Days Come and Go by Hemley Boum, now available in English. Days Come and…
[Fiction Issue] ‘A strange guest invited into our house to stay forever’—Read an excerpt from Almini van der Merwe’s forthcoming debut Ghost Limb
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from Ghost Limb, the debut novel by Almini van der Merwe, which will be…
[Fiction Issue] ‘She prophesises bad omens when birds are kept caged’—Read an excerpt from Zaheera Jina Asvat’s Tears of the Weaver
The JRB presents an excerpt from Zaheera Jina Asvat’s short story ‘Birds Kept in Cages, Curse …’, from Tears of…
[Fiction Issue] ‘Aid worker. Smuggler. Time bomb.’—Read an excerpt from Akbar Hussain’s debut Nairobi crime novel Truth Is a Flightless Bird
The JRB presents an excerpt from Truth Is a Flightless Bird, the debut novel from Akbar Hussain. Truth Is a…
[Fiction Issue] ‘We thought she’d welcome us. We thought it was simple’—Read an excerpt from Saleh Addonia’s short story ‘She is Another Country’
The JRB presents an excerpt from ‘She is Another Country’, a short story from The Feeling House, the debut collection…
[Fiction Issue] ‘What’s Nigeria got to do with us? … They hate us there.’—Read an excerpt from Okechukwu Nzelu’s novel Here Again Now
The JRB presents an excerpt from Here Again Now by Okechukwu Nzelu. Here Again Now Okechukwu NzeluLittle, Brown, 2022 Ekene…
[Fiction Issue] Read an excerpt from Victor Forna’s short story ‘They Will Fly with Blooded Wings’, from the Caine Prize anthology A Mind to Silence and Other Stories
The JRB presents an excerpt from Victor Forna’s short story ‘They Will Fly with Blooded Wings’, excerpted from A Mind…
[Fiction Issue] ‘As if with an invisible thread, they were bound together by their circumstances’—Read an excerpt from Shevlyn Mottai’s debut novel Across the Kala Pani
The JRB presents an excerpt from Across the Kala Pani, the debut novel by Shevlyn Mottai. Across the Kala PaniShevlyn…
[Fiction Issue] ‘You’ll appeal more to audiences who’ve never seen people like you’—Read an excerpt from Laila Manack’s debut novel Sisters of the Circus
The JRB presents an excerpt from Sisters of the Circus, the debut novel by Laila Manack. Sisters of the CircusLaila…
[Fiction Issue] ‘You need a plan … To lose your temper is to lose the battle’—Read an excerpt from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel The Marriage Portrait
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. The Marriage PortraitMaggie O’FarrellHeadline, 2022 Venison baked in…
[Fiction Issue] ‘My brother realised that he married a witch!’—Read an excerpt from Thabile Shange’s debut adult novel In the Midst of It All
The JRB presents an excerpt from In the Midst of It All, the debut novel by Thabile Shange. In the…
Two poems by Tjawangwa Dema, from an/other pastoral
The JRB presents two poems from Tjawangwa Dema’s collection an/other pastoral. an/other pastoral Tjawangwa Dema, illustrated by Tebogo CranwellNo Bindings, 2022 Prologue: Hypothesis…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘Over the months, we found more and more of Wayne’s drawings, those bundles of thin lines on the walls’—Read an excerpt from Namwali Serpell’s new novel The Furrows
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Furrows: An Elegy, the new novel from award-winning author Namwali Serpell. The FurrowsNamwali…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘The first wound for all of us who are classified as “black” is empire’—Read an excerpt from Tsitsi Dangarembga’s new book Black and Female
The JRB presents an excerpt from Black and Female by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Black and FemaleTsitsi DangarembgaFaber & Faber, 2022 Read…
‘I danced a saraband with my parents. Their love dissolved my old fear’—Read an excerpt from Abdourahman A Waberi’s award-winning novel Why Do You Dance When You Walk
The JRB presents an excerpt from Why Do You Dance When You Walk by Djiboutian novelist Abdourahman A Waberi, winner…
‘No meaningful change can come from those who seek only power’—Read ‘Various Histories’, an essay by Jim Pascual Agustin
The JRB presents an updated version of an essay first published in Jim Pascual Agustin’s book of poems Bloodred Dragonflies:…
‘I was an identity-less person at the mercy of apartheid officials’—Read an excerpt from Cleaner’s Boy: A Resistance Road to a Liberated Life by Patric Tariq Mellet
The JRB presents an excerpt from Patric Tariq Mellet’s autobiography Cleaner’s Boy: A Resistance Road to a Liberated Life. Cleaner’s…
‘There was a heated discussion about me going to work for this “native” paper’—Read an excerpt from Freedom Writer, the memoir of legendary journalist Juby Mayet
The JRB presents an excerpt from Freedom Writer: My Life and Times by the late Juby Mayet. Freedom Writer: My…