Are you ready for the 2015 Kingsmead Book Fair? The excitement is in the air as the fourth annual festival prepares to kick off on Saturday, 23 May, at Kingsmead College in Melrose, Johannesburg.
From politics to poetry, lifestyle and memoir, the 2015 Kingsmead Book Fair has something for everyone. Throw in a few critically acclaimed international authors and we can’t think of a better way to spend your Saturday. Remember that entrance is R30 per person and each sessions costs R50. Book your tickets now on Webtickets to avoid disappointment.
Here are a few of the highlights to look forward to this year:
Politics
11:15 AM to 12 PM: “The Opinionistas” – Marianne Thamm (To Catch A Cop) shouts the odds with fellow columnists Darrel Bristow-Bovey (One Midlife Crisis and a Speedo), Khaya Dlanga (To Quote Myself) and Rebecca Davis (Best White and Other Anxious Delusions) about the job of the commentator.
“Telling War Stories” – Mosibudi Mangena (Triumphs and Heartaches: A Courageous Journey by SA Patriots), Mandla Langa (The Texture of Shadows) and Glenn Moss (The New Radicals: A Generational Memoir of the 1970s) revisit the end years of apartheid with journalist David O’Sullivan, who covered some of the worst of the madness.
Lifestyle
11:15 to 12 PM: “A Hunger for Life” – MasterChef judge and one of South Africa’s favourite celebrity chefs, Pete Goffe-Wood (A Life Digested) reminisces about his entertaining culinary adventures through the years with Anna Trapido (Hunger for Freedom).
3 to 3:45: “Paying it Forward” – Journalist and broadcaster Bruce Dennill introduces Shafiq Morton (Gift of the Givers) and David Gemmell (Colour Blind Faith: The Life of Father Stan Brennan) and asks what place mercy and compassion can play in society today.
“Digital Overload?” – Digital doyen Ben Williams discusses the pros and cons of technology with Emma Sadleir and Tamsyn de Beer (Don’t Film Yourself Having Sex), techno guru Toby Shapshak and Alex van Tonder (This One Time).
4:15 to 5 PM: Vernon RL Head (The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World) and Prof John Ledger (editor of Environment Magazine) share their fervour for bird watching with fellow enthusiast and author Hamilton Wende.
Fiction
1:45 to 2:30 PM: “Gained in Translation” – Carol Campbell (Esther’s House), Jaco van Schalkwyk (The Alibi Club) and Karin Brynard (Weeping Waters) discuss the publication of their Afrikaans books in English, and the light a different language throws on their stories. Chaired by Lood du Plessis.
4:15 to 5 PM: “The Gory Details” – Belinda Bauer (Blacklands), Mike Nicol (Power Play) and Karin Brynard (Weeping Waters) discuss their research and the importance of forensic accuracy in their crime novels.
History and Place
10 to 10:45 AM: “Drilling into Jozi” – Tanya Zack (Wake Up, this is Joburg) and Nechama Brodie (The Joburg Book) excavate a city that’s rarely seen. Chaired by author Hamilton Wende (Valleys of Silence).
“Tails and Trails Through South Africa” – Author Steven Boykey Sidley (Imperfect Solo) sifts the sands of history with Hazel Crampton (The Side of the Sun at Noon), and eminent historian and raconteur Bill Nasson (World War One and the People of South Africa).
1:45 to 2:30 PM: “A Long Way From Home” – Christopher Hope (Jimfish), Jonny Steinberg (A Man of Good Hope) and Elaine Proctor (Rhumba) consider the agony of exiles and émigrés, and of writing away from their homeland.
International
10 to 10:45 AM: “A Song for the Dispossessed” – Loss takes many forms in the moving novels of John Boyne (A History of Loneliness), Gareth Crocker (The Last Road Trip) and Carol Campbell (Esther’s House).
12 to 1 PM: Bodyguard: Ambush – Chris Bradford offers the audience a taste of the Young Samurai series as well some of the skills he’s learnt in this area.
Interactive, entertaining and full of action.
12:30 to 1:15 PM: “Sense and Sensibility”- Sarah Waters (The Paying Guests) and Craig Higginson (The Dream House) consider how a sense of place shapes a story.
3 to 3:45: “Faith, Hope & Hell” – Acclaimed Irish author John Boyne (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, A History of Loneliness) appraises the major themes of his broad body of work and shares his life as a writer with Michele Magwood.
Special Performance
6 to 7:15 PM: PJ Powers (Here I Am) – “You have made a tremendous impact both on and off the stage, and you are one of those young people on whom the country pins so much hope.” – Nelson Mandela to PJ Powers, 1989
Which events are you going to attend? Tell us in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.
Book details
- Best White and Other Anxious Delusions by Rebecca Davis
EAN: 9781770104150
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- A History of Loneliness by John Boyne
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EAN: 9780552778435
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- The Last Road Trip by Gareth Crocker
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EAN: 9780143539094
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- Esther’s House by Carol Campbell
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EAN: 9781415207406
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- The Joburg Book: A Guide to the City’s History, People and Places edited by Nechama Brodie
EAN: 9781770103856
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- Imperfect Solo by Steven Boykey Sidley
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EAN: 9781770103542
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- Valleys of Silence: Into the Rwandan Genocide by Hamilton Wende
EAN: 9781928216223
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- World War One and the People of South Africa by Bill Nasson
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EAN: 9780624067191
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- A Life Digested by Pete Goffe-Wood
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EAN: 9780992216979
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- Hunger for Freedom: The Story of Food in the Life of Nelson Mandela by Anna Trapido
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EAN: 9781770095656
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- To Catch A Cop: The Paul O’Sullivan Story by Marianne Thamm
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EAN: 9781431401703
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- One Midlife Crisis and a Speedo by Darrel Bristow-Bovey
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EAN: 9781770227460
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- To Quote Myself by Khaya Dlanga
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EAN: 9781770103900
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- The Texture of Shadows by Mandla Langa
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EAN: 9781770103863
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- Triumphs and Heartaches: A Courageous Journey by South African Patriots by Mosibudi Mangena
EAN: 9781770104129
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- The New Radicals: A generational memoir of the 1970s by Glenn Moss
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EAN: 9781431409716
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- Bodyguard: Ambush by Chris Bradford
EAN: 9780141971520
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- The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
EAN: 9781594633928
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- The Dream House by Craig Higginson
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EAN: 9781770104105
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- Jimfish by Christopher Hope
EAN: 9780857898067
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- A Man of Good Hope by Jonny Steinberg
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EAN: 9781868424429
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- Rhumba by Elaine Proctor
EAN: 9780857385086
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- Weeping Waters by Karin Brynard, edited by Maya Fowle and Isobel Dixon
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EAN: 9780143539124
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- The Search for the Rarest Bird in the World by Vernon RL Head
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EAN: 9781431410927
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- Here I Am by PJ Powers and Marianne Thamm
EAN: 9780143539049
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- Blacklands by Belinda Bauer
EAN: 9781439149454
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- Power Play by Mike Nicol
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EAN: 9781415207314
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- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
EAN: 9780385751896
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- A History of Loneliness by John Boyne
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EAN: 9780552778435
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- Imtiaz Sooliman and the Gift of the Givers: A Mercy to All by Shafiq Morton
EAN: 9781920434816
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- Colour Blind Faith: The Life of Father Stan Brennan by David Gemmell
EAN: 9780620584067
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- Inside Out by Tanya Zack and Mark Lewis
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EAN: 9780992226374
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- Don’t Film Yourself Having Sex: and Other Legal Advice For the Age of Social Media by Emma Sadleir, Tamsyn de Beer
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EAN: 9780143538943
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- This One Time by Alex van Tonder
EAN: 9781770104235
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Picture: The first Times Talks event of 2015 with Jodi Picoult at Kingsmead College