[City Editor] Behind every story, think of the writer—Niq Mhlongo on the new stage adaptation of his short story ‘Nailed’
There’s a film that stands the test of time and still resonates with my friends and me: The Shawshank Redemption….
Category: South Africa
New short fiction: ‘Loadshedding’ by Michael Yee, winner of the 2018 Short Sharp Stories Award
The JRB presents ‘Loadshedding’ by Michael Yee, the winner of this year’s Short Sharp Stories Award. The Short Sharp Stories…
A 1960s summer in New York with Lewis Nkosi—Read an excerpt from Vintage Love and Other Essays by Jolyon Nuttall
The JRB presents an excerpt from Vintage Love and Other Essays by Jolyon Nuttall. Vintage Love Jolyon Nuttall Jacana Media, 2018 …
‘It was the only way we could escape our whiteness’—Read ‘Struggle Heroes’, an excerpt from Hugh Lewin’s memoir, Stones Against the Mirror
The JRB presents an excerpt from Stones Against the Mirror, the memoir of journalist, author and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Lewin,…
Hugh Lewin, 1939–2019, RIP
Journalist, author and anti-apartheid activist Hugh Lewin has died, aged seventy-nine. Lewin passed away at his home in Killarney, Johannesburg…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 3, Issue 1 (January 2019, The Conversation Issue)
Emmanuel Iduma • Lidudumalingani • Zoë Wicomb • Chigozie Obioma • Mbali Sikakana • Amatesiro Dore • Chike Frankie Edozien…
[Conversation Issue] ‘Intersectionality seems so blindingly obvious a notion’—Zoë Wicomb in conversation with Andrew van der Vlies, from their new book Race, Nation, Translation
As part of our January Conversation Issue, we present an excerpted interview from a new collection of Zoë Wicomb’s writing, Race,…
[Conversation Issue] ‘Africa exists in the world, and the world has always been in Africa’—Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu chats to Jennifer Malec about her debut novel, The Theory of Flight
As part of our January Conversation Issue, The JRB Editor Jennifer Malec talks to Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu about her debut novel, The Theory of…
[Conversation Issue] ‘Poetry is music, nothing more’—PR Anderson talks to Rustum Kozain about his new collection, In a Free State: A Music
The JRB’s Poetry Editor Rustum Kozain was in conversation with PR Anderson at the launch of Anderson’s new book, In…
New short fiction: ‘Monkeys’ by Keletso Mopai
The JRB presents a new short story by Keletso Mopai. ~~~ Monkeys Pa is a farmer. He is also a…
[Photo Editor] Original portraits of Futhi Ntshingila and Sabata-mpho Mokae by Victor Dlamini
Victor Dlamini is The JRB’s Photo Editor. We feature his work on our Instagram channel. Visit the ten-year retrospective of…
Read an excerpt from PR Anderson’s new collection of poetry, In A Free State: A Music
The JRB presents excerpts from PR Anderson’s new collection, In A Free State: A Music, published by uHlanga Press. Read:…
[The JRB Daily] Top 10 of 2018—A look back at our most popular articles of the year
This December marked the twentieth issue of The JRB, and the twelfth of the year. With the festive season reaching…
Justin Cartwright, 1945–2018, RIP
Acclaimed South African novelist Justin Cartwright has died, aged seventy-three. Cartwright passed away on Monday, 3 December, according to The…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 2, Issue 12 (December 2018, The Fiction Issue)
Ivan Vladislavić • Sisonke Msimang • Nuruddin Farah • Achmat Dangor • Odafe Atogun • Michiel Heyns • Koos Prinsloo…
[Fiction issue] [The JRB exclusive] Read an excerpt from Ivan Vladislavić’s forthcoming novel, The Distance
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from The Distance, the forthcoming novel by Ivan Vladislavić. Vladislavić is an award-winning novelist, short story…
[Fiction issue] ‘Paying for Independence’, a new short story by Sisonke Msimang
The JRB is proud to present a new short story by Sisonke Msimang. Msimang is the author of Always Another Country:…
[Fiction issue] [The JRB exclusive] Read an excerpt from a work in progress by Achmat Dangor
The JRB presents an excerpt from a work in progress by Achmat Dangor. Dangor, a political activist and award-winning author, is…
[Fiction issue] ‘The Story of My Cousin’ by Koos Prinsloo, newly translated by Michiel Heyns
In The JRB Fiction Issue this year, we are delighted to feature two short stories by Koos Prinsloo, published for…
[Fiction issue] ‘The Story of My Father’ by Koos Prinsloo, newly translated by Michiel Heyns
In The JRB Fiction Issue this year, we are delighted to feature two short stories by Koos Prinsloo, published for…
[Fiction issue] ‘Chasing shadows’, a new short story by Palesa Manaleng
The JRB presents the short fiction debut of Palesa ‘Deejay’ Manaleng. ~~~ Chasing shadows It’s raining, the roads are slippery, the…
[Fiction issue] Johannesburg’s ‘is a beauty that is heard as much as it is felt’—Read an excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s forthcoming novel, Illumination
The JRB presents an exclusive excerpt from Nthikeng Mohlele’s new novel, Illumination, and a short interview with the author. Mohlele,…
[Fiction issue] ‘How the War Ended for Jonathan’, a new short story by Byron Loker
The JRB presents new short fiction by Byron Loker. ~~~ How the war ended for Jonathan Jonathan and I became…
[Fiction issue] ‘The History of Emil Coetzee’, an excerpt from a work in progress by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu
The JRB presents an excerpt from a work in progress by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. Ndlovu is the author of The…
[Fiction issue] Read an excerpt from Kagiso Lesego Molope’s new novel, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road
The JRB is pleased to present an excerpt from Kagiso Lesego Molope’s new novel, Such a Lonely, Lovely Road. Such…
[Fiction issue] [The JRB exclusive] Read an excerpt from Frank Owen’s new post-apocalyptic novel, North
The JRB presents an excerpt from North, the new novel from Frank Owen, the pen name of Diane Awerbuck and…
Read an excerpt from Stephen Symons’s new collection of poetry, Landscapes of Light and Loss
The JRB presents a poem from Stephen Symons’s new collection, Landscapes of Light and Loss, published by Dryad Press. ~~~…
[Photo Editor] Original portraits of Binyavanga Wainaina and Zakes Mda 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…
[The JRB Daily] [World Aids Day] Two Koos Prinsloo short stories translated into English for the first time—among the first fictional texts about HIV/Aids in South Africa
In The JRB’s forthcoming Fiction Issue, we will feature two short stories by Koos Prinsloo, published for the first time…
[The JRB Daily] Panashe Chigumadzi wins 2018 Brittle Paper Award for Rights of Conquest, Rights of Desire, published in The JRB
The winners of the 2018 Brittle Paper Awards have been announced—including Panashe Chigumadzi, for her essay ‘History Through the Body or Rights…
[The JRB Daily] Three African authors up for International Dublin Literary Award—the world’s richest annual literary prize
Three African authors have made the longlist for the International Dublin Literary Award, the world’s most valuable annual literary prize for…
[The JRB Daily] 2018 South African Literary Awards winners announced—Mongane Wally Serote is South Africa’s new Poet Laureate
Header image taken by Victor Dlamini Mongane Wally Serote has been announced as South Africa’s new Poet Laureate at the…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 2, Issue 11 (November 2018)
Efemia Chela • Maryse Condé • Tsitsi Dangarembga • Shayera Dark • Victor Dlamini • Rebecca Duncan • Terry Kurgan…
We told her she was Nina Simone—Bongani Madondo reviews She Begat This: 20 Years of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Joan Morgan
As Bongani Madondo experienced tinges of nostalgia occasioned by the twentieth anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, HipHop Feminist…
[Photo Editor] Original portraits of Sue Nyathi and Athol Fugard 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…
A chronicle of the city’s expansion—photographs from the new book Johannesburg Then and Now
The cover image for the November 2018 issue of The JRB is excerpted from the new book Johannesburg Then and…
Johannesburg’s literary subterranean horror—Read an excerpt from South African Gothic by Rebecca Duncan
The JRB presents an excerpt from South African Gothic: Anxiety and Creative Dissent in the Post-apartheid Imagination and Beyond by…
The 2018 Sol Plaatje Lecture: Kole Omotoso on The Power of Politics, the Power of Literatures—Sol Plaatje and the Madness of Making Humanity Shudder
This year’s Annual Sol Plaatje Lecture was delivered on 17 October at Sol Plaatje University, Kimberley, by Professor Kole Omotoso….
[The JRB Daily] 2018 Brittle Paper Award shortlists announced, recognising the ‘finest original pieces of writing by Africans published online’
The shortlists for the 2018 Brittle Paper Awards have been announced. The awards were established in 2017 to recognise the…
The Johannesburg Review of Books Vol. 2, Issue 10 (October 2018)
Welcome to the tenth issue of Volume 2 of The Johannesburg Review of Books. In this edition, Azad Essa makes…