[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…
Category: Poetry
[In Memoriam] [Photo Editor] A selection of Victor Dlamini’s portraits of Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile
The JRB presents Victor Dlamini’s literary portraits of Keorapetse ‘Bra Willie’ Kgositsile. South Africa’s National Poet Laureate, Keorapetse Kgositsile, passed…
[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] 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…
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The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Fiona Zerbst.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The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Jim Pascual Agustin.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The Johannesburg Review of Books presents previously unpublished poetry by Simon van Schalkwyk.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The Johannesburg Review of Books is proud to present previously unpublished poetry by Mbali Vilakazi.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…
[Exclusive interview and audio] ‘White fragility ends discussions … and ends lives’: Claudia Rankine speaks in Soweto
‘In the US we have just elected a government committed to white supremacy. Tonight I wanted to talk about what…
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…
[The JRB Daily] Rabih Alameddine wins Lambda Literary Award for his novel The Angel of History
Lambda Literary, an organisation advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) literature, has announced the winners of the 29th Annual…
[The JRB Daily] UJ Prize shortlists announced: Fiction, poetry, short stories, essays and biography feature
The shortlists for the 2016 University of Johannesburg Prizes for South African Writing in English have been announced, with works…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 1, Issue 2 (June 2017)
The second issue of The Johannesburg Review of Books is here—replete with some of the finest writing on books and…
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…