Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
m amp g literary festivallatest news & developments
Athol Williams announced as winner of the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award

Athol Williams announced as winner of the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award

A poet and social philosopher from Cape Town, Williams is the chairman of Read to Rise.

​Finding South Africa’s heart: An edited extract from Luke Alfred’s new book

​Finding South Africa’s heart: An edited extract from Luke Alfred’s new book

Luke Alfred walked long and far and recorded it in ‘Early One Sunday Morning I Decided to Step Out and Find South Africa’ (Tafelberg).

The two-day event will pay homage to novelist

It’s lit at the M&G’s book fest

Topics include writing since Sol Plaatje to reporting on Marikana – and will continue at the afterparty

‘There is a significant nod to South African literary history in the Litfest marking the 140th anniversary of the birth of Sol T Plaatje’

M&G’s Litfest takes flight, honouring Sol Plaatje on his 140th anniversary

Alongside panels discussing hot topics, shortlisted poets from the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award and Anthology will receive their awards.

The community responded to the death by looting the shop and assaulting the owners. (Thulani Mbele/Timeslive)

African publishers promote their titles at SA Book Fair

Here’s a list of the publishers from sub-Saharan Africa invited by Goethe-Institut to be part of this year’s South African Book Fair.

SA Book Fair: Madiba’s legacy revisited

The annual fair, together with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, will present a dialogue at the upcoming fair: Revisiting Madiba’s Legacy.

Human Settlements Minister Nomaindia Mfeketo had red-flagged an investment made by one of her department’s entities in a scandal-hit bank that is now under curatorship.

It’s definitely one for the books at the SA fair

The SA Book Fair will feature over 100 authors, writers, poets, publishers and playwrights.

M&G Literary Festival programme

The annual Literary Festival will run from August 1-2 at the Turbine Hall in Newtown Johannesburg.

M&G Literary Festival aims to provoke

Hot debates are on offer as the literary festival and book fair join forces.

Institute for Race Relations chief executive Frans Cronje talks about his new book ‘A Time Traveller’s Guide to Our Next Ten Years’.

M&G Lit Festival: Authors get candid about their new books

From Frans Cronje to Pumla Gbodo-Madikizela, four authors shared what their new books are about during a panel discussion at this year’s festival.

Broken Monsters: A concatenation of nanospaces

SA’s trending author has expertly embraced new media as a medium of horror, and the characters of her female protagonists defy casual stereotyping.

South African fiction in English

The SA Lit issue won’t go away

Where to now for the South African writer of fiction in English? asks Leon de Kock.

Okwiri Oduor

Okwiri Oduor unapologetic about being herself

Okwiri Oduor, the special guest at the M&G Literary Festival, will be on the panels about Nadine Gordimer and the short story.

War and peace: Twin brothers Constand and Abraham Viljoen.

Brothers in War and Peace: The war that could have been

This is an edited extract from chapter 13, ‘The Ultimatum’ in Dennis Cruywagen’s book, Brothers in War and Peace.

Past master: Herman Charles Bosman’s short stories are South African classics. A new crop of writers feature in the ‘experimental and titillating’ Adults Only collection.

The short’s a hit with fans

A new anthology will present the top tales that have best captured South Africa’s voice post-1994.

Nelson Mandela’s home town of Qunu.

Lessons for national healing

Read this edited extract from Songezo Zibi’s book, Raising the Bar: Hope and Renewal in South Africa.

M&G Literary Festival: Being here or being square

The M&G Literary Festival will consider Nadine Gordimer’s notion ‘Being here: in a particular time and place.’

Nadine Gordimer: Someone to accompany us

To mark novelist Nadine Gordimer’s 90th birthday, Craig MacKenzie celebrates how her work has astutely interpreted the tenor of our times.

It is no surprise that poetry of Mongane Wally Serote (pictured), Mafika Pascal Gwala and Oswald Mtshali was read at anti-apartheid rallies — these poems no doubt aroused emotions but, more importantly, in the lines of the poems, citizens heard their voices and saw their plights. (Paul Botes/M&G)

Achebe’s legacy, our lodestone

The novelist’s writings have provided fertile ground for the festival speakers to raise contemporary issues.

Nadine Gordimer described Chinua Achebe as a fearless writer. (AFP)

M&G LitFest: Nadine Gordimer remembers Chinua Achebe

Nobel-winning author Nadine Gordimer has paid tribute to Chinua Achebe, the eminent writer who passed away in March.