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Fiction Friday: David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ as a picture book – free to...
David Bowie’s 1969 space rock single “Space Oddity” has been turned into a picture book, ostensibly for children, by graphic artist Andrew Kolb. The song was Bowie’s first UK top 5 hit, and his...
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Sunday Read: The new novel from Yann Martel, the bestselling Booker...
This Sunday Read features an excerpt from the new book by Yann Martel, The High Mountains of Portugal, which is to be published in February. Martel won the Man Booker Prize in 2002 for Life of Pi,...
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6 books to remember Patrice Lumumba, on the anniversary of his death
Africa will write its own history, and it will be, to the north and to the south of the Sahara, a history of glory and dignity. - Patrice Lumumba Today, 17 January, marks 55 years since the...
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Sabo Kpade Reviews Blackass by A Igoni Barrett
Verdict: carrot A first time novelist reinterpreting a well admired classic is a risky endeavour. The cynical expectation might be that said work will fall short of the original even before any...
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Don’t miss the launch of Roger Ballen’s new book and exhibition The House...
Roger Ballen is one of the most influential and important photographic artists of the 21st century. His work spans over 40 years and confronts viewers by challenging their perceptions as they look...
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Jacket Notes: Misha Glenny discusses his book, Nemesis: One Man and the...
By Misha Glenny for the Sunday Times Nemesis: One Man and the Battle for Rio Misha Glenny (Penguin Random House) I was wandering just five minutes from the house where I was living in Rio de Janeiro...
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Book Bites: 17 January 2016
From Playground to Prostitute Elanie Kruger with Jaco Hough-Coetzee (Jonathan Ball) *** Book buff Engela is from a broken home. Her parents are alcoholics, and at 10 years old her life is one of...
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Kobus Moolman wins the 2015 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry
Alert! Kobus Moolman has been announced as the winner of the 2015 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. The Glenna Luschei Prize, a pan-African poetry prize worth $5 000 (about R84 000), is...
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Samantha Gibb Reviews Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance
Verdict: carrot Vance articulates Musk’s ideas with detail that makes the excitement palpable. While not necessarily personally approachable, Musk is undoubtedly amazing, and has great things in store...
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Winners of the 2015 Bessie Head Short Story Awards announced
Alert! The Bessie Head Heritage Trust has announced the winners of the 2015 Bessie Head Short Story Awards. The Bessie Head Short Story Awards reward original and unpublished short stories in...
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Ikhide Ikheloa reviews Boy, Interrupted by Saah Millimono
Verdict: carrot There may be a sequel or a movie. White folks love these kinds of scripts. It’s all good. There is a Nigerian soldier named Okonkwo with tribal marks. That seems improbable. But I like...
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Sabo Kpade Reviews Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi
Verdict: carrot Taiye Selasi gets full marks for swimming against the currents of fiction published by African writers (though “writer of African origin” might better describe her). The trace of war...
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The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma longlisted for 2016 International Dylan...
Alert! The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma has been included on the longlist for the 2016 International Dylan Thomas Prize. The Dylan Thomas Prize is awarded annually to the best eligible published...
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Salik Shah reviews The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 4 by Lavie Tidhar and...
Verdict: carrot Fittingly, Ugandan writer and filmmaker Dilman Dila’s fantastic tale, “How My Father Became a God,” is a parable for storytelling and the triumph of reason and science over tradition...
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Zakes Mda’s Rachel’s Blue to hit shelves in US and UK (Plus: See all Mda’s US...
Zakes Mda’s Rachel’s Blue will soon hit shelves in the United States and United Kingdom, from Seagull Books. Rachel’s Blue won the University of Johannesburg Prize in 2014, and is published locally...
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2016 Caine Prize for African Writing judging panel announced
Alert! The five judges of this year’s Caine Prize for African Writing were announced in London today. The Caine Prize is awarded for a short story by an African writer published in English. Previous...
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Jon Day reviews Blackass by A Igoni Barrett
Verdict: carrot From the first sentence, Kafka’s The Metamorphosis confronts you with the inherent strangeness of the pact you make when you read fiction. Gregor Samsa has become an insect, Kafka says....
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Book Bites: 24 January 2016
A Brief History of Seven Killings Marlon James (Oneworld) ***** Book buff The 2015 Man Booker winner is a cracker, comprising stories told by 70-odd characters, from Kingston gangsters and politicians...
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Richard Steyn reviews The Secret Society: Cecil John Rhodes’s Plan for a New...
Verdict: critical carrot Brown argues Rhodes was many-sided and his legacy mixed. Brown is confident his disclosures will stand up to academic scrutiny, but emphasises that there is much more to be...
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It’s easy to forget the purpose of storytelling: Bruce Dennill reviews My...
A storytelling grandma outwits the big bad wolves in this absorbing Swedish novel, writes Bruce Dennill for the Sunday Times My Grandmother Sends Her Regards & Apologises Fredrik Backman (Sceptre)...
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