Book events are being cancelled all over the world in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, and the latest loss is Durban’s Time of the Writer Festival.

The 23rd edition of the festival was due to take place from today, 16 to 21 March 2020, in Durban.

Last night, however, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a national state of disaster, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement included a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people.

This afternoon, the Time of the Writer team announced that it has taken the difficult decision to cancel the ‘physical version’ of the festival.

The organisers are hoping to be able to host a digital version of the festival – those plans are still in the making.

Keep an eye on The Reading List for updates.

See also:

• 2020 Franschhoek Literary Festival cancelled because of COVID-19
• Love Books and The Book Lounge cancel book launches until further notice – but will need your support, so keep buying books! (Home delivery available)

 

Read the announcement from Time of the Writer:

ANNOUNCEMENT
Dear Time of the Writer fans,

After much consideration and in view of the current global Corona pandemic, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel the physical version the #TOW2020 festival, which was due to take place from Monday, 16 March until Saturday, 21 March 2020.

We are, at all times, committed to supporting South African writers and are currently working hard to make resources available to facilitate a part of the festival through digital and media channels. We are indeed excited about this development. Please keep a lookout on our social media channels for the recent updates.

People who have already purchased tickets, will be contacted by us regarding their refunds. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 031 260 2506 / cca@ukzn.ac.za or send us a Facebook chat message.

We thank you for your understanding and for your continued support and we are looking forward to your patronage in the future on and off the internet.

The Time of the Writer Team

Categories Fiction International Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Book events Durban KwaZulu-Natal News Time of the Writer Time of the Writer Festival