The Reading List

Mon – 29th Nov 2021

African Artists: From 1882 to Now – a groundbreaking A-Z survey of the work of over 300 modern and contemporary artists born or based in Africa

African Artists: From 1882 to Now is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Books for Black Friday! Jacana Media’s 50% off sale starts on Friday at 6am (PLUS stand a chance to win books too!)

Jacana Media’s Black Friday kicks off at 6am this Friday, 26 November 2021.

Tue – 16th Nov 2021

Don’t miss The Cheeky Natives in conversation with Akwaeke Emezi about their new book Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir (17 Nov)

Jonathan Ball Publishers and The Cheeky Natives invite you to the virtual launch of Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke Emezi.

Mon – 15th Nov 2021

Bestselling adventure writer Wilbur Smith dies, aged 88

Beloved, global bestselling author Wilbur Smith passed away unexpectedly on Saturday afternoon at his Cape Town home, with his wife Niso by his side.

Wed – 3rd Nov 2021

Smuts’ War: How a Boer General Fought and Won the First World War But Lost His Country by Thembinkosi Lehloesa

The First World War is written about to have originated from the killing of prince Frantz Ferdinand in Belgium. This book provides evidence for the time that it was over South West Africa.

Fri – 29th Oct 2021

Find out more about ‘Wole Soyinka’s greatest novel’ – Chronicles From the Land of the Happiest People On Earth (PLUS: Listen to an excerpt)

Wole Soyinka, the first Black winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, presents Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth – a tour de force, his first novel in nearly half a century: a savagely satiric, gleefully irreverent, rollicking fictional meditation on how power and greed can corrupt the soul of a nation.

Wed – 27th Oct 2021

Join David Dison for the launch of his new novel The Good Nigerian at Emoyeni in Joburg (28 Oct)

It’s time to meet in person again, and Jacana Media invites you all to the book launch of The Good Nigerian by David Dison!

Tue – 26th Oct 2021

Congratulations to Tsitsi Dangarembga on being awarded the 2021 German Peace Prize

‘I’m sure you would have preferred to give up on occasion, Tsitsi, to simply give in to the temptation to just lead a normal, ordinary life. […] But you are far from ordinary.’

Thu – 23rd Sep 2021

Put Africa in your pocket with a 3 for 2 special offer from Jacana Media!

3 for 2 special on the Jacana Pocket Histories!

Mon – 20th Sep 2021

FLF virtual event: The Boy Who Never Gave Up by Emmanuel Taban (22 Sep)

Join the Franschhoek Literary Festival for a FREE virtual event featuring Emmanuel Taban, author of the bestseller The Boy Who Never Gave Up, and Sara-Jayne Makwala King.

Jacaranda Books now available in South Africa through Jonathan Ball Publishers

Multi-award-winning independent publisher Jacaranda Books has partnered with Hachette UK to expand its sales and distribution offering.

Fri – 10th Sep 2021

Friday Night Book Club: Read an exclusive excerpt from Lesley Lokko’s intoxicating, multi-generational novel Soul Sisters

The Friday Night Book Club: Exclusive excerpts from Pan Macmillan every weekend.

Wed – 1st Sep 2021

The New Kingdom – Wilbur Smith returns to Ancient Egypt with a thrilling new series!

The New Kingdom by the master of adventure fiction Wilbur Smith – with Mark Chadbourn – is out now from Jonathan Ball Publishers!

Thu – 19th Aug 2021

Friday Night Book Club: Read the first chapter of TL Huchu’s new novel The Library of the Dead

‘I’m really not supposed to be doing this, but a girl’s gotta get paid. So, here we go.’

Fri – 6th Aug 2021

Friday Night Book Club: Read an exclusive excerpt from Tony Park’s new novel Blood Trail

The Friday Night Book Club: Exclusive excerpts from Pan Macmillan every weekend. A poacher vanishes, two young girls go missing, a tourist …

Thu – 5th Aug 2021

Don’t miss Aoife Lennon-Ritchie’s webinar on how to get a literary agent (18 Aug)

How do you get a literary agent? What do literary agents even do, and why do you need one? How does agenting work in South Africa? What kind of titles are agents looking for?

An evening with Karen Jennings, South African Booker Prize nominee (1 Sep)

Karen Jennings and Colleen Higgs, publisher at Modjaji Books will be in conversation about Karen’s recent Booker Prize nomination for An Island, her writing life, and her plans for the future.