The Reading List

Tue – 28th May 2019

OluTimehin Adegbeye wins the Gerald Kraak Prize for her essay ‘Mothers and Men’

OluTimehin Adegbeye has won the R25,000 Gerald Kraak Prize, which honours African writing and photography that ‘provokes thought on the topics of gender, social justice and sexuality’.

Thu – 23rd May 2019

WIN 1 of 3 pairs of impeccably written novels by the award-winning authors Masande Ntshanga and Lauri Kubuitsile

Shake up your shelf life! Three lucky winners will each receive a copy of Triangulum AND But Deliver Us From Evil, courtesy of Penguin Random House!

Wed – 22nd May 2019

Don’t miss the launch of Soft Magic, the debut collection of prose and poetry from Malawian writer Upile Chisala, at The Book Lounge (30 May)

Soft Magic is the debut collection of prose and poetry by Malawian writer, Upile Chisala. This book explores the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality and most of all, how we survive. Soft Magic is a shared healing journey.

Kenyan author and activist Binyavanga Wainaina dies, aged 48

Kenyan author and activist Binyavanga Wainaina has passed away, at the age of 48.

Presenting The Mourning Bird, the unflinching and assured debut novel by Zambian writer Mubanga Kalimamukwento

The Mourning Bird – Winner of the Dinaane Debut Fiction Award 2019

Mon – 20th May 2019

2019 Caine Prize for African Writing shortlist announced

The shortlist for the Caine Prize for African Writing has been announced, featuring writers from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria.

Wed – 15th May 2019

‘I’ve spent a lifetime trying to forget, yet the smallest thing takes me back to the time the Dragon Lady was shot.’ Read an excerpt from Louisa Treger’s new novel

Jonathan Ball Publishers has shared an excerpt from Louisa Treger’s new novel, The Dragon Lady.

Join Lauri Kubuitsile for the launch of But Deliver Us from Evil at Exclusive Books Rosebank (23 May)

Penguin Random House and Exclusive Books invite you to the launch of But Deliver Us from Evil, a moving work of historical fiction by Lauri Kubuitsile.

Tue – 14th May 2019

‘You know witchcraft is powerful, more powerful than your Jesus.’ – Read an extract from Lauri Kubuitsile’s new novel But Deliver Us from Evil

Penguin Random House has shared an extract from Lauri Kubuitsile’s new book But Deliver Us from Evil, a moving work of historical fiction.

Mon – 13th May 2019

Asymptote Journal announces a new essay writing contest judged by JM Coetzee

Asymptote, a journal dedicated to world literature in translation, has announced a new contest, to be judged by JM Coetzee.

Fri – 10th May 2019

‘I want to go back to Rwanda but I don’t want to go back to be Rwandan’ – Read an excerpt from The Eternal Audience of One by Rémy Ngamije

BlackBird Books has shared an excerpt from The Eternal Audience of One, the debut novel by Rwandan-born Namibian writer Rémy Ngamije!

Disruption: Short Story Day Africa Announces 2019 Theme

In 2019, Short Story Day Africa is seeking short fiction exploring disruption, especially but not limited to climate and environ[mental] disruption.

Thu – 9th May 2019

‘A daring blend of romance, crime and history’ – Join Louisa Treger for the launch of The Dragon Lady at Love Books (16 May)

Love Books and Jonathan Ball Publishers invite you to the launch of The Dragon Lady by Louisa Treger.

Fri – 3rd May 2019

Two Weeks in November – Ocean’s 11 meets Game of Thrones, a real-world life or death chess match for the future of Zimbabwe

Two Weeks in November is the thrilling, surreal, unbelievable and often very funny true story of four would-be enemies – a high- ranking politician, an exiled human rights lawyer, a dangerous spy and a low-key white businessman turned political fixer – who team up to help unseat one of the world’s longest serving dictators, Robert Mugabe.