Trainspotter Rafs Mayet’s maiden Blue Train voyage evokes his family history and comparisons to other locomotive rides he has taken
Three texts through which to understand current unrest in South Africa – by Slavoj Žižek, Frantz Fanon and Alan Paton
The acclaimed and prolific South African author, whose 1978 book The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena confronted the hardships of apartheid, has died
The jazz maestro was an activist first and foremost, and created his own unique instruments and style
Academic Achille Mbembe sat down with retired journalist Jolyon Nuttall, who is also his father-in-law, to talk about his new book of essays
Africans can become citizens by acting democratically and claiming their identity
Four theatre dynamos who bring Alan Paton’s story to life in A Voice I Cannot Silence discuss the iconic author with Hilary Prendini Toffoli.
As refreshing as Mahlangu’s writing may be, a fellow writer highlights a few technical flaws in the penning of his prize-winning "Penumbra".
South African literary scholar Rita Barnard reflects on her time working for the Oprah Winfrey Show.
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/ 13 November 2007
The European and American tradition of the political novel is deeply entrenched. From Emile Zola to Gore Vidal, the perceptions and attitudes of citizens in these smug old democracies have long been shaped. South Africa too has a rich history of political fiction, from Alan Paton to Nadine Gordimer, André Brink, Njabulo Ndebele and Lewis Nkosi. But there is, of course, a vast difference between the literary political novel and the "novel of politics", writes Marianne Thamm.
The history of Durban’s Grey Street casbah area — the subject and setting of various works of fiction and non-fiction — is the microcosm of the South African reality, writes Niren Tolsi
Darryl Accone examines the culture and commercial imperatives of book awards