Three newly translated poems by Athambile Masola, from Ilifa
The JRB presents a selection of poetry by Athambile Masola. The poems were originally published in her award-winning 2021 collection…
Category: Book excerpts
View an excerpt of images from Zanele Muholi’s new book Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Vol. II
The JRB presents an excerpt from Zanele Muholi’s new book Somnyama Ngonyama, Hail the Dark Lioness, Vol. II. Somnyama Ngonyama,…
The place of death in the struggle for freedom in South Africa—Read an excerpt from Jacob Dlamini’s new book Dying for Freedom: Political Martyrdom in South Africa
The JRB presents an excerpt from Dying for Freedom: Political Martyrdom in South Africa, the new book by Jacob Dlamini. Dying…
‘Those few strands of barbed wire fence stood between her and her children, her home, her husband and her country’—Read an excerpt from the new edition of Lauretta Ngcobo’s Cross of Gold
The JRB presents an excerpt from a new edition of Lauretta Ngcobo’s seminal novel Cross of Gold. Cross of GoldLauretta…
Read an excerpt from a new edition of Alex La Guma’s A Soviet Journey, including the Foreword by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
The JRB presents an excerpt from a new edition of A Soviet Journey by Alex La Guma: A Critical Annotated…
Read an excerpt from Sesizophila Ngale Ndlela, the new isiZulu translation of Nozizwe Cynthia Jele’s acclaimed novel The Ones with Purpose
The JRB presents an excerpt from Sesizophila Ngale Ndlela, a new isiZulu translation of Nozizwe Cynthia Jele’s novel The Ones…
‘He cut himself from his country. He had been so proud. But he was damaged by the loss’—Read an excerpt from Lying Perfectly Still by the late Laura Fish
The JRB presents an excerpt from Lying Perfectly Still by Laura Fish, who passed away shortly before her novel’s publication….
‘Unlike any other South African poem I have come across’—Read Kelwyn Sole’s Introduction to Angifi Proctor Dladla’s epic poem Maxwell the Gorilla and the Archbishop of Soshanguve
The JRB presents Kelwin Sole’s Introduction to Maxwell the Gorilla and the Archbishop of Soshanguve, an epic poem by the…
‘I lose myself for hours inside its green and blue pixels’—Read Masande Ntshanga’s new essay Technologies of Conquest, from The Creative Arts: On Practice, Making and Meaning
The JRB presents an excerpt from Masande Ntshanga’s essay ‘Technologies of Conquest: On Writing the Dystopian through South Africa’s Past,…
‘Because of informers, meetings were never announced beforehand’—Read an excerpt from Dayspring, the memoir of the late CJ Driver, major South African poet and exiled student politician
The JRB presents an excerpt from Dayspring, the forthcoming memoir by CJ Driver, edited and with a foreword by Nobel…
Continuities between Tswana worlds and Black world politics—Read an excerpt from Keorapetse Kgositsile and the Black Arts Movement by Uhuru Portia Phalafala
The JRB presents an excerpt from Uhuru Portia Phalafala’s new book, Keorapetse Kgositsile and the Black Arts Movement. Keorapetse Kgositsile…
‘Like knowledge, ignorance is a form of power’—Read an excerpt from Achille Mbembe’s award-winning book Brutalism
The JRB presents an excerpt from Achille Mbembe’s new book Brutalism, which was recently awarded the prestigious Holberg Prize. BrutalismAchille…
‘Listen, when the ancestors bite your ears’—Read an excerpt from Avenues by Train, the debut novel by Farai Mudzingwa
The JRB presents an excerpt from Farai Mudzingwa’s debut novel, Avenues by Train. Avenues by TrainFarai MudzingwaCassava Republic Press, 2023…
‘The dread of Whites and of ghosts loomed in his mind’—Read an excerpt from the new English translation of Louis Timagène Houat’s rediscovered classic The Maroons
The JRB presents an excerpt from the rediscovered classic The Maroons, first published in 1844 and released for the first…
‘Does being a politician have to be a dealbreaker?’—Read an excerpt from Barbara Boswell’s new novel, The Comrade’s Wife
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Comrade’s Wife, the new novel from Barbara Boswell. The Comrade’s WifeBarbara BoswellJacana Media,…
‘Johannesburg winters are brutal; you freeze to the bone marrow here’—Read an excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s new novel Revolutionaries’ House
The JRB presents an excerpt from Revolutionaries’ House, the latest novel from Nthikeng Mohlele. Revolutionaries’ HouseNthikeng MohleleJacana Media, 2024 Johannesburg…
‘This is my third lifespan.’—Read an excerpt from Tlotlo Tsamaase’s debut novel Womb City, a cyberpunk horror set in a future Botswana
The JRB presents an excerpt from Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase. Womb CityTlotlo TsamaaseJacana Media (Mother imprint), 2024 08:00 ///…
Read an excerpt from Izimpabanga Zomhlaba, Makhosazana Xaba’s new isiZulu translation of The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
The JRB presents an excerpt from Izimpabanga Zomhlaba, the first isiZulu edition of Frantz Fanon’s seminal work The Wretched of…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘To survive as a woman in South Africa, I had to be angry’—Read an excerpt from Margie Orford’s new memoir, Love and Fury
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from Love and Fury: A Memoir by Editorial Advisory Panel member Margie Orford. Margie OrfordLove and Fury:…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘I still take my bearings from the inner city’—Read an excerpt from Ivan Vladislavić’s forthcoming book The Near North
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from The Near North, the new book by Ivan Vladislavić, which will be published…
[The JRB exclusive] ‘In a single life here there is so much life’—Read an excerpt from Teju Cole’s new novel Tremor
The JRB presents an excerpt from Tremor, the new novel from Teju Cole. TremorTeju ColeFaber and Faber How is one…
‘Powerful drama fused with its cerebral yet emotional writing’—Read Njabulo S Ndebele’s Foreword to the 60th anniversary edition of William ‘Bloke’ Modisane’s Blame Me on History
The JRB presents Njabulo S Ndebele’s Foreword to the new sixtieth-anniversary edition of William ‘Bloke’ Modisane’s Blame Me on History….
‘This book is being published while Gaza, where I live, is being annihilated’—Read an excerpt from Decolonising the Palestinian Mind by South African–Palestinian author Haidar Eid
The JRB presents an excerpt from Haidar Eid’s new book Decolonising the Palestinian Mind. Decolonising the Palestinian MindHaidar EidInkani Books,…
Poetry by iyra e m maharaj, from earth-circuit
The JRB presents an excerpt from earth-circuit by iyra e m maharaj. earth-circuitiyra e m maharajDryad Press, 2023 Ouroborous dear…
[Fiction Issue] ‘No one in Durban remembers a Christmas as hot as this’—Read an excerpt from Shubnum Khan’s forthcoming novel The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil, the forthcoming novel from Shubnum Khan, which will…
[Fiction Issue] ‘And just like that, in one touch, Ruth’s trauma passed to her’—An excerpt from Tsitsi Mapepa’s debut novel Ndima Ndima
The JRB presents an excerpt from Ndima Ndima, the debut novel from Tsitsi Mapepa. Ndima NdimaTsitsi MapepaCatalyst Press, 2023 The…
[Fiction Issue] ‘The one thing I cannot give her’— Read ‘Mastitis’ by Mubanga Kalimamukwento, from Now Now: The 2023 Doek Anthology
The JRB presents an excerpt from Mubanga Kalimamukwento’s short story ‘Mastitis’, published in Now Now: The 2023 Doek Anthology. Now…
[Fiction Issue] ‘This was the only way. If she let him go, it would be the end’—Read an excerpt from Hamza Koudri’s debut novel Sand Roses
The JRB presents an excerpt from Sand Roses, the debut novel by Hamza Koudri. Sand RosesHamza KoudriHolland House Books, 2023…
[Fiction Issue] ‘They came riding cattle lorries. Their whole world travelling with them’—Read an excerpt from Magogodi oaMphela Makhene’s Innards
The JRB presents an excerpt from ‘7678B Old Potchefstroom Road’, from Innards, the debut short story collection by Magogodi oaMphela…
[Fiction Issue] ‘Sometimes we need to lie to ourselves. It’s the only way the world makes sense’—Read an excerpt from SE Bhamjee’s debut novel Home Scar
The JRB presents an excerpt from Home Scar, the forthcoming debut novel by SE Bhamjee. Home ScarSE BhamjeeModjaji Books, 2024…
[Fiction Issue] ‘You don’t expect annihilation in the afternoon’—Read an excerpt from Diane Awerbuck’s new short story collection Inside your body there are flowers
The JRB presents an excerpt from Inside your body there are flowers, the new collection of short stories by Diane…
[Fiction Issue] ‘Once I lay outside for five days. In the rain.’—Read an excerpt from Byron Loker’s New Swell, out soon in a new edition
The JRB presents an excerpt from New Swell, the short story collection by Byron Loker, which will be published in…
Poetry by Isobel Dixon, from A Whistling of Birds
The JRB presents an excerpt from A Whistling of Birds by Isobel Dixon. A Whistling of BirdsIsobel DixonHuman & Rousseau,…
‘She puts the worm in her mouth. She swallows it whole. It doesn’t wriggle. Too late now’—Read an excerpt from Lauren Beukes’s new novel, Bridge
The JRB presents an excerpt from Bridge, the new novel from Editorial Advisory Panel member Lauren Beukes. BridgeLauren BeukesPenguin Random House SA, 2023…
‘The world was tilting. The world was sinking. The city throbbed with energy and rage’—Read an excerpt from Ben Okri’s new book, Tiger Work
The JRB presents an excerpt from Tiger Work, the latest collection of poems, fables, and essays from Ben Okri. Tiger…
‘We can’t afford to have bombs exploding. Get your act together’—Read an excerpt from Breaking the Bombers by Mark Shaw
The JRB presents an excerpt from Breaking the Bombers: How the Hunt for Pagad Created a Crack Police Unit by…
‘The language we know as Afrikaans today owes much to the enslaved people who spoke it’—Read an excerpt from Coloured: How Classification Became Culture
The JRB presents an excerpt from Coloured: How Classification Became Culture by Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Ebony Chutel. ColouredTessa Dooms,…
‘The stranger was on his feet, healing impossibly fast, even for what he was’—Read an excerpt from Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ’s award-winning debut novel Dazzling
The JRB presents an excerpt from Dazzling by Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ. Dazzling Chịkọdịlị EmelụmadụHeadline Publishing Group The Arrival Long Before They…
Creating interventionist ways of reading—Read an excerpt from Reading From the South: African Print Cultures and Oceanic Turns in Isabel Hofmeyr’s Work
The JRB presents an excerpt from Reading From the South: African Print Cultures and Oceanic Turns in Isabel Hofmeyr’s Work….
‘The ominous ring of the prison siren still lingers in the air as if signalling the end of days’—Read an excerpt from Angela Makholwa’s new novel The Reed Dance Stalker
The JRB presents an excerpt from The Reed Dance Stalker, the new novel from Angela Makholwa. The Reed Dance StalkerAngela…