Three new poems by Bethuel Muthee
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Bethuel Muthee. ~~~ Movement Home It’s a bold step into…
Tag: Poetry
[Photo Editor] Original portraits of Imraan Coovadia and TJ Dema by Victor Dlamini
Victor Dlamini is The JRB’s Photo Editor. We feature his work on our Instagram channel. Don’t miss the ten-year retrospective…
New poetry by Gabeba Baderoon: ‘Promised land’
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents a new poem by Gabeba Baderoon, from her forthcoming collection The History of Intimacy, out…
[The JRB Daily] 2018 Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award longlist announced
The longlist for the eighth annual Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award has been announced by the Jacana Literary Foundation. Sixty-three…
Read an excerpt from Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese’s poetry collection Loud and Yellow Laughter, winner of the 2018 Ingrid Jonker Prize
The JRB is proud to present four poems from Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese’s collection Loud and Yellow Laughter (Botsotso, 2016), winner of…
Two new poems by Karen Jennings
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Karen Jennings. ~~~ Nella We were both teaching then and more than…
[The JRB Daily] Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese wins 2018 Ingrid Jonker Prize for her debut collection Loud and Yellow Laughter
Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese has been announced as the winner of the 2018 Ingrid Jonker Prize for English Poetry, for her 2016 collection Loud…
Two new poems by Sarah Johnson
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Sarah Johnson. Sixth sense Over a decade, your nerves…
[Photo Editor] Two original portraits of Natalia Molebatsi by Victor Dlamini
Victor Dlamini is The JRB’s Photo Editor. We feature his work on our Instagram channel. He made these portraits of…
Two new poems by Mikael Johani
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Mikael Johani. chapel hill stuck a pin in…
‘How does one take part in a national dialogue when your voice carries this baggage?’ Antjie Krog interviews award-winning poet Karin Schimke
‘I cannot un-white my voice, nor can I stop writing.’ Poet, academic and author Antjie Krog interviews Karin Schimke about…
‘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…
‘Writing allowed me to honour the connections between life and death’—Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa talks to Tiah Beautement about her memoir, Flame and Song
Tiah Beautement chats to Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa about her poetry and prose memoir, Flame and Song, which traverses Uganda, Addis…
Three poems by Shailja Patel
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents three poems by Shailja Patel. Syllabus Note O leftist men who heart critiques of Hillary and…
Sea-shaken love from ‘The Cargo Hold of Stars’ by Mauritian poet Khal Torabully
« Et ta bouche est une syllabe mûre que seule l’empreinte des mots d’amour » Whether you have a valentine…
[Conversation Issue] Kanga and Khwezi: Kwezilomso Mbandazayo challenges the memorialisation of Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo
Kwezilomso Mbandazayo, known as the womxn who loaned her name to Khwezi, Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser, offers a personal reflection…
Two poems by Angifi Dladla
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents two poems by Angifi Dladla. PHRRR You flew away, never bothered; I dove and…
[Conversation Issue] Found poems by Makhosazana Xaba, from Mohale Mashigo’s novel The Yearning
As part of our January Conversation Issue, we present new found poetry by The JRB Patron Makhosazana Xaba, a creative…
[In Memoriam] Elinor Sisulu remembers Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile (including tributes from Njabulo Ndebele, Fred Khumalo and Sandile Memela)
Elinor Sisulu shared this tribute to South Africa’s Poet Laureate Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile, who died on the third of…
[In Memoriam] [Photo Editor] Listen to Victor Dlamini’s 2008 interview with Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile
The JRB Photo Editor Victor Dlamini interviewed South African Poet Laureate Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile back in 2008. Listen to the…
[In Memoriam] Nthikeng Mohlele remembers Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile
Nthikeng Mohlele honours South African National Poet Laureate Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile, who passed away in January. A Person of…
Details of memorial services for Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile (1938—2018): 11, 12 and 16 January
South Africa’s National Poet Laureate, Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile, passed away in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 3 January. He was seventy-nine….
Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile, South Africa’s National Poet Laureate, RIP
South Africa’s National Poet Laureate, Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile, has died in Johannesburg. Kgositsile passed away at Milpark Hospital in…
Two new poems by Fiona Zerbst
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Fiona Zerbst. Homestead She imagines her future in this…
New poetry by Jim Pascual Agustin: ‘Fire, the King Who is Called’
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Jim Pascual Agustin. Fire, the King Who is Called…
New poetry by Simon van Schalkwyk: ‘Hay-on-Wye’
The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Simon van Schalkwyk. Hay-on-Wye I. We drive there on…
Two new poems by Mbali Vilakazi
The Johannesburg Review of Books is proud to present previously unpublished poetry by Mbali Vilakazi. The Broken Dreams Then they…
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…
New poetry by Ingrid de Kok: ‘Closed for Reasons of Joy’
The Johannesburg Review of Books is proud to present previously unpublished poetry by Ingrid de Kok. Closed for Reasons of…
Two new poems by Nii Ayikwei Parkes
bottle i think of the room, the way it separated into definite things…
Mak Manaka: One horny m’fcker – Bongani Madondo reviews Flowers of a Broken Smile
Take me to the memory of my grandmother’s hands I want to bathe in her voice and remember how…
Two poems by Francine Simon
It is The JRB’s pleasure to publish, for the first time, two new poems by Francine Simon. ~ ~ ~…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 1, Issue 3 (July 2017)
The third issue of The Johannesburg Review of Books is here, with some big reviews, in-depth interviews and quality ruminations…
A steady vigil over the slow death of the anti-apartheid dream: Rustum Kozain reviews Kelwyn Sole’s latest poetry collection, Walking, Falling
Kelwyn Sole Walking, Falling Deep South, 2017 Read: Four Poems by Kelwyn Sole Walking, Falling extends Kelwyn Sole’s…
Four Poems by Kelwyn Sole
Kelwyn Sole Walking, Falling Deep South Publishers, 2017 Read Rustum Kozain’s review of this collection: A steady…
Two poems by Rethabile Masilo
Flesh and blood One is very crazy when one is in love —Sigmund Freud Tiananmen. A monk’s body burns—his tunic…
Portrait of the poet as a young genius: Bongani Madondo reviews Koleka Putuma’s Collective Amnesia
There is an ‘undecidable conflict’ between the poet’s desire to sing an alternative world and, as Grossman puts it, the…
New poetry by Rustum Kozain: ‘When I write’
When I write Prose poem Rustum Kozain When I write, I am aware of how meaningless and ineffectual the activity…