BOOK Southern Africa

Skrywer Bettina Wyngaard vereer by US Woordfees

by Amanda on 16 Mar 2010   |   

Vir die eerste keer in sy 11-jarige bestaan het die Universiteit van Stellenbosch se Woordfees, in samewerking met die ATKV, woord- en visuele kunstenaars vereer deur die toekenning van WOORDtroFEES.

Die trofees, wat spesiaal vir die geleentheid geskep is deur die beeldhouer, Sanna Swart, is op Sondag 7 Maart by ‘n bekroningsgeleentheid oorhandig deur Prof Dorothea van Zyl en Japie Gouws, voorsitter van die ATKV.

In die kategorie Debuutteks het Karin Brynard en Bettina Wyngaard die louere gedeel – Brynard vir die onderhoud oor haar roman Plaasmoord en Wyngaard wat gepraat het oor haar roman Troos vir die gebrokenes.

Bettina sê die toekenning en prysgeld van R1500.00 was ‘n groot verrassing, “Uiteraard, dat ek ‘n prys ontvang het, is vir my ‘n besondere eer, en ek wil ook net my gelukwensinge aan Karin uitspreek.”

Die beoordelaars was beïndruk met die diepgang van die gesprekke waaraan die skrywers oor hul romans op die Woordfees deelgeneem het. Deur die bekroning van uitnemendheid, poog die ATKV om deur middel van die WOORDtroFEES, skeppende werk en kreatiwiteit in die kunste te ondersteun en te bevorder.

Hierdie toekennings sal verteenwoordigend wees van die verskillende fasette van die US Woordfees se feesprogram.

Boekbesonderhede

• Troos vir die gebrokenes deur Bettina Wyngaard
  Boektuisblad
  EAN: 9781415200834
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Home Away Preview: Midnight, Nairobi: "To Kill a Politician" by Zukiswa Wanner

by Amanda on 16 Mar 2010   |   

Zebra Press brings you a preview of the exciting new collection of writing on hours and cities edited by Louis Greenberg, Home Away – to be launched in April. Watch out for the first pages of each of the 24 stories, which will be run in hourly sequence every day.

We start with midnight, Nairobi and Zukiswa Wanner:

* * *

Home Away: Midnight (Zukiswa Wanner)

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* * *

Book details

• Home Away edited by Louis Greenberg
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781770220720
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Adinda Vermaak resenseer Dieter en Madame Zenobia deur Nelia Engelbrecht

by Jani on 16 Mar 2010   |   

Uitspraak: wortel

Volgens Nancie Atwell, ’n bekende Amerikaanse onder wys kenner, lewe amper-tieners in twee wêrelde: Hul vingers klou nog aan die kindertyd, terwyl hul voete onverskrokke vorentoe na vroeë vol­was sen heid stap.
 
Wie is dus die teikenlesers van ’n boek soos Dieter en Madame Zenobia? Die kind wat van ’n ­storieboek met helder kleurige prentjies sê, “Wow, dis cool,” of die kind (en dit kan dieselfde kind wees) wat uit die hoogte kyk na ’n boek wat só begin: “Dis tjoepstil in die saal. Nie een kind waag dit om te snuif of te hoes of hard asem te haal nie. Almal staar met groot oë na die hoof, meneer Du ­Plessis.”

• Lees die volledige resensie in Die Burger

• Dieter en Madame Zenobia tuisblad

Boekbesonderhede

• Dieter en Madame Zenobia by Nelia Engelbrecht
  EAN: 9780798151016
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Paige Nick's novel A Million Miles from Normal to be launched at Exclusive Books Constantia 25 March @ 6 PM

by Ron on 16 Mar 2010   |   

On Thursday 25 March the launch for client Paige Nick’s ridiculously funny novel A Million Miles From Normal will happen at Exclusive Books, Constantia Village in Cape Town. 6 PM. You can check out Paige’s blog to discover what kind of person she is, and what kind of launch this is likely to be…. http://amillionmilesfromnormal.blogspot.com/

JM Coetzee: Unamused Aussie (Video)

by Ben - Editor on 15 Mar 2010   |   

Alert! Here’s something to make you smile on a Monday afternoon. Maybe. JM Coetzee recently took part in the Adelaide Writers’ Week Down Under, where he was tasked with introducing several writers, including Britain’s Geoff Dyer (who’s not, gentle reader, to be confused with the Aussie painter Geoffrey Dyer).

Dyer is apparently something of a wit, as his response to Coetzee’s straightforward introduction demonstrates. The question is, did Coetzee find Dyer’s wee (and perfectly harmless) joke quite as amusing as the audience did? On the tape, the master seems as inscrutable as ever:

• Not loading? Watch on SlowTVAUS
• More from SlowTV and the Adelaide Writers Week: JM Coetzee introduces Anna Enquist

Book details

• Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi: - by Geoff Dyer
  EAN: 9781847672704
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Book Launch: Home Away, Edited by Louis Greenberg

by Amanda on 15 Mar 2010   |   

Save the date! The Louis Greenberg-edited “book of cities and hours”, Home Away, will be launched on Thursday, April 15 at The Book Lounge in Cape Town.

This unique and captivating collection is a snapshot of South African writing today: emigrant and immigrant South Africans, living at home and away.

Here’s the brilliant line-up of contributors, the hours they’ve been assigned to and the cities they write about:

Midnight: Zukiswa Wanner (Nairobi)
1 am: S.A. Partridge (Triolet)
2 am: Richard de Nooy (Amsterdam/Rokytnice nad Yizerou)
3 am: Sarah Britten (Sydney)
4 am: Naomi Nkealah (Mainz)
5 am: Phillippa Yaa de Villiers (Havana)
6 am: Colleen Higgs (Kampala)
7 am: Moky Makura (Lagos)
8 am: Sarah Lotz (Maun)
9 am: Louis Greenberg (Ushuaia)
10 am: Fiona Snyckers (Oxford)
11 am: Lauren Beukes (Tokyo)
noon: Ted Botha (Los Angeles)
1 pm: Liesl Jobson (Victoria / the air)
2 pm: Jassy Mackenzie (Moscow)
3 pm: Makhosazana Xaba (Dakar)
4 pm: Jo-Anne Richards (Patmos)
5 pm: Henrietta Rose-Innes (Chanchan)
6 pm: Kathryn White (London)
7 pm: Karina Magdalena Szczurek (Salzburg)
8 pm: Ivan Vladislavic (Oklahoma City)
9 pm: Helen Moffett (Fairbanks)
10 pm: Rustum Kozain (Royaumont)
11pm: Victoria Burrows (Hong Kong)

Many of the authors will be on-hand at the launch to read from their selections. We look forward to seeing you there!

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, 15 April 2010
• Time: 5:30 PM for 6:00 PM
• Venue: The Book Lounge, 71 Roeland
  cnr Buitenkant
  Cape Town | Map
• RSVP: booklounge@gmail.com, 021 462 2425

Book Details

• Home Away, edited by Louis Greenberg
  Book Homepage
  EAN: 9781770220720
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Neil Cochrane resenseer Voetstoots deur John Miles

by Jani on 15 Mar 2010   |   

Uitspraak: wortel

Met sy jongste roman stel John Miles ’n hele paar uitdagings aan die leser.

Die ongewone vertelperspektief, ineengestrengelde verhaalgebeure, onderbrekings in die vertelling, samevloeiing tussen hede en verlede en vermenging van genres (soos die speur-, liefdes- en spannings­roman) is van die aspekte wat ’n tweede of selfs derde lees vereis.

Tog behoort voornemende lesers nie afgeskrik te word nie, maar moet eerder verheug wees oor ’n roman wat aktiewe en betrokke lesersdeelname verg – daar het sedert Agaat van Mar lene van Niekerk lanklaas ’n lywige roman verskyn wat so ’n ingewikkelde én genotvolle leeservaring vir prosaliefbebbers bied.

• Lees die volledige resensie

Boekbesonderhede

• Voetstoots deur John Miles
  EAN: 9780798150804
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Escape to the Topsy-Turvy World of Rachel Marcus in Paige Nick's Debut, A Million Miles from Normal

by Tracey on 15 Mar 2010   |   

In A Million Miles from Normal, Rachel Marcus has a great life and an amazing job as a top copywriter at an advertising agency in Johannesburg, or rather Rachel Marcus HAD a great life and an amazing job as a top copywriter at an advertising agency in Johannesburg – right up until she got fired …

Forced to sell everything she owns and leave Joburg in a hurry, Rachel moves to New York City where she plans to make a fabulous life for herself and prove to everyone back home that she’s not a complete disaster. Except that the only job she can find is at a crap advertising agency, with a hippie freak for a boss and an alcoholic drug addict for an art director. And the only apartment she can afford is the world’s smallest cockroach-infested rat trap. In fact, the only upside to her new life in the Big Apple is her new best friend – her frustratingly petite neighbour, Sue.

However, just when things seem to be going from bad to worse Rachel meets the oh-so delicious Jerrod Craig. And not only does Jerrod have all his own teeth but he is also Creative Group Head at one of the biggest advertising agencies in New York. Suddenly it looks like Rachel’s life might just be coming together – a handsome boyfriend with all the right connections can put a silver lining on any cloud. Now all she needs is that cup of tea…

• To see a commercial for A Million Miles from Normal, click here

About the author

Paige Nick has been a copywriter in advertising for 15 years, where she has worked on brands like BMW, Nashua, Kulula.com, Levi’s Jeans and Allan Gray. A Million Miles from Normal is 99% fictional, although many of the characters are an amalgamation of the people Paige has worked with and clients she has met over the years. This is her first novel.

Book details

• A Million Miles from Normal by Paige Nick
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9780143026518
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Videos: Readings from Marié Heese's Commonwealth Writers' Prize-winning The Double Crown

by Chris on 15 Mar 2010   |   

NB Publishers and Human & Rousseau are delighted to congratulate Marié Heese for winning the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book – Africa region for her novel, The Double Crown: Secret Writings of the Female Pharaoh.

At the awards announcement on Thursday, 11 March in Johannesburg, two readings were given from The Double Crown, and we present them for you here. The first is by Jamaican poet Amina Blackwood-Meeks, who reads from the book’s preface:

• Not loading? Watch on BOOK SA TV

For more on The Double Crown, don’t miss the author’s reader’s guide. Congratulations once again to Heese!

Book details

• The Double Crown: Secret Writings of the Female Pharaoh by Marié Heese
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9780798150361
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Scribd.com book preview:

The Double Crown: Secret Writings of the Female Pharaoh

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Bella Matambanadzo Reviews White Gods, Black Demons by Daniel Mandishona

by Ben - Editor on 15 Mar 2010   |   

Verdict: carrot

A new publication from Zimbabwe’s Weaver Press, comprising “ten sharply polished stories”.

Something of a boom has occurred in the area of record making about this period of life in the country that has driven texts dealing in either fiction or fact, perhaps even propaganda, to the bookshelves. Judging by literary produce, it is a country that has become all things to all people.

To add to this treasure trove is Daniel Mandishona’s ‘White God, Black Demons’, an anthology of ten short stories published under the Weaver Press stable. Its magic is that it feels startlingly familiar, whatever your politics may be. Each portrait in the 110-page collection is the product of prodigious observation and research, that resembles a return to the 16th century Every (wo)man theatrical genre.

What a reader will cherish is that there is a kind of fidelity about the stories that leaves you knowing it to be true. The characters, and their experiences cut a little too close to the bone. Where else has there been an independent candidate who promises a ‘new dawn’ ahead of a presidential contest held in March, whose results are held back to April?

• Complete review at Pambazuka News

• White Gods, Black Demons homepage

Book Details

• White Gods, Black Demons by Daniel Mandishona
  EAN: 9781779220875
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