Ancient paths. New literary journeys.
Werner Pretorius holds degrees in Publishing and English from the University of Pretoria and a Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town. His stories and short fiction have appeared in various magazines and anthologies. Lone Wolf Living is his first collection. He lives and works in Cape Town.
Author photograph by Barend Botha
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE is a collection of anarchic essays written by a new generation of everyday thinkers, activists and scholars who are figuring out their relationship to feminism. It is a radical appraisal of the home and a call to critically rethink the mechanisms that govern the ‘private’. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the home as decolonial space.
CONTRIBUTORS: Ijeoma Chidi Opara • Shakeelah Ismail • Mbali Mazibuko • Chan Croeser • Aneeqa Abrahams • Simphiwe Rens • Cassidy Robinson • Imologang M. Morulane • Nada Faleni • Waratwa Zanokuhle Miya • Ché Adams • Chelsea Holland • Charisse Louw • Kiasha Naidoo • Ernst van der Wal • Joy Watson
PRAISE for Burning Down the House:
The house in South Africa is an intimate, bordered thing, abrupt with nearness. At home in this taunting, compulsive setting, the chapters in Burning Down the House inhabit the everyday in undaunted and visionary ways. In my own agony of unrootedness in which feminism has been an anchor, I found their writing at once unmooring and consoling. This is a book I am turning into an architecture and a map. — GABEBA BADEROON, author of The History of Intimacy
This intergenerational conversation about the home as a political and contradictory space presents us with opportunity to ask critical questions and to think of what it means to become better humans in the world. — DINA LIGAGA, author of Women, Visibility and Morality in Kenyan Popular Media
In refusing the ideology and contradiction of home offered to us, they offer a feminist reimagining of home that we must fight and love for, just that vision of a home that we may eventually embody for a new generation. — PROF PEACE KIGUWA, Psychology,
University of the Witwatersrand
Stirringly intimate, it is a powerful reminder that our feminist architectural imagination is one of our most urgent and precious tools to seize upon in our ongoing question for liberation and equality. — DAPHNE A. BROOKS, author of Liner Notes for the Revolution:
The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound
In ‘Bringing Feminist Theory Home’, the introduction to Living a Feminist Life, Sara Ahmed urges us to think, feel, work and live differently – at the same time that we ‘burn down’ the doctrine and relationships that oppress us. This book, drawing together a range of essays that expose heteropatriarchal, colonial and classist assumptions about home, responds powerfully to Ahmed’s call. — DESIREE LEWIS, Professor in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at the University of the Western Cape
Publication date: September 2025
ISBN: 978-1-0370-9371-5
The shortlist for the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa — honouring the publishers who bring bold, brilliant African stories to the world — has been announced and we are thrilled that Thobeka Yose’s In Silence My Heart Speaks is among the selected titles. Congratulations to all shortlisted authors and publishers!
Thobeka, literary love and gratitude for the grace, courage and compassion with which you have shared your story with readers!
Meet all five unforgettable books chosen by the judging panel, chaired by Prof. Egara Kabaji:
• ‘No Pink in a Rainbow’ by Angel Patricks Amegbe, published by Masobe Books – A profound meditation on loss and the enduring power of quiet love, beautifully crafted both in prose and in print.
• ‘Dear Zimi’ by Chiziterem Chijioke, published by Quramo Publishing – A tender, courageous story of motherhood and resilience, positioning Chijioke as a significant voice in contemporary African literature.
• ‘The Comrade’s Wife’ by Barbara Boswell, published by Jacana Media – A bold, emotionally honest narrative that confronts personal and political betrayal in post-apartheid South Africa with feminist clarity.
• ‘Broken: Not a Halal Love Story’ by Fatima Bala, published by Masobe Books – A moving exploration of faith, identity, and forbidden love, balancing personal truth with spiritual devotion.
• ‘In Silence My Heart Speaks’ by Thobeka Yose, published by Karavan Press – A luminous memoir tackling mental health, abuse, betrayal, and sexual identity with honesty and defiance.
The winner will be revealed at CANEX@IATF2025 in Algiers, Algeria (4–10 September 2025) – the ultimate gathering for Africa’s creative industries.
Whether you’re a reader, writer, or culture lover, these books belong on your list.
A book launch and a birthday! Come and celebrate the latest SHORT STORY DAY AFRICA anthology, Captive: New Short Fiction from Africa, and Helen Moffett’s birthday at Salon Hecate at the stunning Noordhoek Art Point Gallery on 2 September, 17:30 for 18:00. An unforgettable party guaranteed!
Wonderful advice by Cathy Park Kelly, author of Boiling a Frog Slowly:
I only went to the monthly literary event, a conversation between author James Whyle, author of We Two from Heaven, and John Maytham, a local radio personality, at our local library because I had to.
I’m on the Friends of Fish Hoek Library committee and we were on duty one recent wintery Saturday morning.
The blurb of the book had done the opposite of grab me – words on the back like ‘palimpsest’ and ‘four-part fugue’ had convinced me it was not my kind of book. It sounded like hard work to read, and too ‘literary’ to enjoy.
But the interview with the author, James Whyle, by resonant-voiced and insightful John Maytham, convinced me otherwise. Whyle’s responses to the questions were sometimes rambling, sometimes off-beat, but always candid and thought-provoking. And so I bought the book.
Continue reading: “The one thing that will sell your story …”
It is time for the Prince Albert Leefees again (29-31 August 2025) and we are delighted that Andrew Robert Wilson features on the programme with his debut novel, The Fourth Boy, which is partly set in Prince Albert and the surroundings.
He will be in conversation with Karina M. Szczurek on Saturday, 30 August, 9:00-9:40AM.
Full festival programme:
Our first book event with the wonderful Pippa Smith of The Book Revue will be taking place next Wednesday at 11.30AM in the Christchurch Constantia Hall and will feature Frankie Murrey with her second collection of stories, A Collection of Gaps, published in a limited box edition. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Open Book Festival. You don’t want to miss this special celebration!
We are delighted to announce that the SA Book Awards 2025 Adult Fiction Shortlist includes The Bitterness of Olives by Andrew Brown! Congratulations, Andrew, and all other shortlisted authors!
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
SA Book Awards celebrates 25 years by announcing the 2025 Shortlist
This year marks the 25th annual SA Book Awards, powered by NielsenIQ BookData and supported by PASA and SA Booksellers Association. The awards strive to celebrate books written and published in South Africa, as voted for by South African booksellers and last year recognised authors Deon Meyer, André de Ruyter and Zandile Ndhlovu.
Booksellers have voted in their hundreds for their favourite titles in three categories from a longlist of bestselling titles published in South Africa and written by South African authors, as measured by NielsenIQ BookScan South Africa in 2024.
We are delighted to share the shortlisted titles as chosen by booksellers below:
Fiction Prize
A Short Life – Nicky Greenwall
Spud: The Reunion – John van de Ruit
The Bitterness of Olives – Andrew Brown
The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil – Shubnum Khan
The Tea Merchant – Jackie Phamotse
Non–Fiction Prize
Capitec: Stalking Giants – T.J. Strydom
Disciple: Walking with God – Rorisang Thandekiso & Nkhensani Manabe
Exit Wounds: A Story of Love, Loss and Occasional Wars – Peter Godwin
How Did We Get Here? – Mpoomy Ledwaba
Zapiro Annual 2024: Have I Got GNUs For You – Zapiro
Children’s Prize
Cook–off at Gogo’s Spaza:(Disaster at Gogo’s Spaza 2) – Salamina Mosese, illustrated by Vian Oelofsen
Into the Uncut Grass – Trevor Noah, illustrated by Sabina Hahn
My First South African Animals – Van den Berg
Springboekie – Fanie Viljoen, illustrated by Elsabe Ebersohn
The Speedy Six Olympics – Roslynne Toerien, illustrated by Julie Smith–Belton
Each category winner will be awarded R5,000.00 and the overall winner, receiving the highest number of votes, will be presented with R20,000.00.
This year, to celebrate the 25–year Anniversary of the SA Book Awards we also asked booksellers to vote for their favourite title from the list of previous Overall Winners.
Celebrating 25 Years: Favourite previous winner shortlist:
Born a Crime – Trevor Noah (2017 and 2020)
How many ways to say Hello? – Refiloe Moahloli (2021)
Leo – Deon Meyer (2024)
Manage your Money – Sam Beckbessinger (2019)
Recipes for Love and Murder – Sally Andrew (2016)
Spud – John van de Ruit (2006)
The President’s Keeper – Jacques Pauw (2018)
On winning last year’s Fiction and Overall Prize for Leo, Deon Meyer said: “I am deeply honoured and grateful to receive the two awards bestowed by the South African booksellers. This recognition means the world to me, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to the association’s members who have supported my journey as an author over the past thirty years. Their acknowledgment inspires me to keep telling stories that connect and resonate.”
We wish all the shortlisted authors the warmest of congratulations and the very best of luck! The winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony and on social media on Tuesday 23 September 2025. All are welcome to join the ceremony, for more information email: marketing.book@nielseniq.com
To read our special anniversary article: Celebrating 25 years of South African literature, visit: NielsenIQ
Join Woman Zone Cape Town for their first-ever BOOK SWAP, celebrating the power of stories FOR, BY, and ABOUT Women as part of the Artscape Women’s Humanity Arts Festival!
🗓 Date: Saturday, 16 August 2025
⏰ Time: 13:00 – 15:00
📍 Location: Theatre Foyer Well at Artscape
How it works:
Bring up to 10 books from your collection and swap them out for new reads to take home! Feel free to bring extra books; these will either be added to the WZ Library or donated to a charity supporting women’s literacy and empowerment.
Woman Zone is thrilled to partner with leading publishing houses who will contribute exciting new releases to the swap.
Swap Rules:
Please bring books that are in good, readable condition.
Only books you would personally recommend to others, to ensure quality and enjoyment for all.
Arrive early to get the best picks!
Come for the books, stay for the vibrant festival vibes! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect, share stories, and celebrate women’s voices. RSVP today and join the celebration!
karavanpress.com 