Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
2012 summer bookslatest news & developments
The A to Z of local writing

The A to Z of local writing

A new and comprehensive history and a guide contain everything a scholar needs to know

Fabulous account of odd family

Fabulous account of odd family

The mysterious uncle Cedric could be anyone’s relative and therein lies Rupert Thomson’s genius.

Many Zulu chiefs were loyal to the Natal government during the Bambatha rebellion. Hashi

Ambitious tomes offer grand, unrivalled sweep of history

Handsome, rigorous and reasonably priced, these admirable books on South Africa’s past surpass many of the others on the market

Race relations: Adam Haupt’s book discusses the thug stereotyping in the movie Tsotsi

Valuable addition to local archives

Adam Haupt summarizes all the questions his book raises

The Manhattan Brothers.

Jazzing up a historical record

The new edition of Chris Ballantine’s Marabi Nights is more than a description of the creation of a South African jazz; it is sociology set to music

Throw the book at books

Throw the book at books

Insightful and controversial, Coovadia’s essays are a cracking read — even if they are in book form

The DA is to debate the issue of fracking in the Karoo after a resolution passed stated the party’s support for it

Harrowing story of an African farm

South African literature has a long tradition of farm novels digging deep into the lives of people on these farms.

Norway seeks to practice ‘first aid’ on the environment and curb deforestation.

Finding facts to suit arguments

Ivo Vegter says environmentalists exaggerate problems, but his book committs the same sins.

Samora Machel is engagingly illuminated in a new book.

Celebrating a great son of Africa

A new book on Samora Machel takes an unusual approach to its subject.

Margaret Lenta was an authority on South African literature studies

Feisty professor ‘took life on the chin’

Craig MacKenzie Margaret Lenta, born September 2 1936, died November 5 2012

Adriaan Basson paints President Jacob Zuma as an unreconstructed Stalinist.

‘Soiled with a secret shame’

Zuma Exposed gets to the heart of the paranoia and power play central to the ANC under his leadership

Thrilling Bond-like read

Thrilling Bond-like read, but with more depth

This reads like a South African James Bond novel, but is more elegantly written and rather more serious.