An offhand remark at her mother’s funeral took veteran South African journalist, Nomavenda Mathiane, on a journey into the past — the story of her grandmother, who survived the Anglo-Zulu war. It is a story about how a young girl ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Richard Mason on his book “Who Killed Piet Barol?”, writing for the Other, and FMF.
“The adventures of his twenties had taught Piet Barol that it is unwise to begin with a lie.” That’s how Richard Mason’s latest novel begins. Who killed Piet Barol? is a sequel to the delightful History of a Pleasure Seeker ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Afghan-American author, Nadia Hashimi, on her novel “A House Without Windows”.
Afghan-American author Nadia Hashimi’s new novel, A House Without Windows, is a vivid story about the unlikely sisterhood found in a women’s prison in Afghanistan. The book tells the story of an Afghan wife and mother, Zeba, who is torn ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Marianne Thamm on her memoir “Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and Me”.
The autobiography tends to be a somewhat self-indulgent genre. Often celebrities and politicians want to “set the record straight”, prove they’re not what everyone thought they were: shallow, greedy, dishonest… But it’s not just high profile figures who write about ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Journalist Elsabe Brits on her unusual biography of Emily Hobhouse, the “beloved traitor”.
Emily Hobhouse is a name many would have learned at school in history class, that of an English woman who helped Boer women and children in concentration camps during the Anglo Boer War. But she was so much more than ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Don Pinnock on his book, “Gang Town”.
The 26es, The Americans, the Hard Livings… These are the names of some of the most well-known gangs on the Cape Flats; groups who terrorize citizens through the drug trade, and violent turf wars, with ordinary residents, often children, caught ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Richard Poplak & Kevin Bloom on their book, “Continental Shift”, and the riddle that is Africa.
What is Africa? Is it a place of darkness, of war, famine and corruption? Or, is it lighting the way through massive economic growth? Is Africa a success or failure? These are some of the questions veteran South African journalists, ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Yolisa Qunta on the book “Writing What We Like”.
The recent Fees Must Fall movement is just one example of how many young South Africans feel the Rainbow Nation has failed them. A new book called, Writing What We Like: A New Generation Speaks, gives expression to some of ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Lerato Tshabalala on THAT book, “The Way I See It”.
The publication of Lerato Tshabalala’s book, The Way I See It. The Musings of a Black Woman in the Rainbow Nation. (Penguin), earlier this month has caused a massive backlash against the author. Singer, Simphiwe Dana, has said even though ...
Read More »[LISTEN] Hollywood screenwriter, Hollie Overton, on her debut novel, “Baby Doll”.
Screenwriter, Hollie Overton, is known for her work on the hit crime series, Cold Case, or the series, Shadowhunters. Now she’s turned her pen to print with her debut novel, Baby Doll. The book begins with 24-year old Lily’s escape ...
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