South African Literature and Other Works
Explore the rich tapestry of South African literature with our curated list of must-read books, from classic novels to contemporary works by renowned African authors.
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July's People
by Nadine Gordimer
âSo flawlessly written that every one of its events seems chillingly, ominously possible.ââAnne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review A startling, imaginative novel from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature A violent war for equality has come to the white suburbs, driving out the ruling minority For years, it had been what is called a âdeteriorating situation.â Now all over South Africa the cities are battlegrounds. The members of the Smales familyâliberal whitesâare rescued from the terror by their servant, July, who leads them to refuge in his village. What happens to the Smaleses and to Julyâthe shifts in character and relationshipsâgives us an unforgettable look into the terrifying, tacit understandings and misunderstandings between blacks and whites.
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The Power of One
by Bryce Courtenay
âThe Power of One has everything: suspense, the exotic, violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures, drama.â âThe New York Times âUnabashedly uplifting . . . asserts forcefully what all of us would like to believe: that the individual, armed with the spirit of independenceââthe power of oneââcan prevail.â âCleveland Plain Dealer In 1939, as Hitler casts his enormous, cruel shadow across the world, the seeds of apartheid take root in South Africa. There, a boy called Peekay is born. His childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment, yet he vows to survive and conceives heroic dreamsâwhich are nothing compared to what life actually has in store for him. He embarks on an epic journey through a land of tribal superstition and modern prejudice where he will learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the power of one. âTotally engrossing . . . [presents] the metamorphosis of a most remarkable young man and the almost spiritual influence he has on others . . . Peekay has both humor and a refreshingly earthy touch, and his adventures, at times, are hair-raising in their suspense.â âLos Angeles Times Book Review âMarvelous . . . It is the people of the sun-baked plains of Africa who tug at the heartstrings in this book. . . . [Bryce] Courtenay draws them all with a fierce and violent love.â âThe Washington Post Book World âImpressive.â âNewsday âA compelling tale.â âThe Christian Science Monitor
Book
The Good Doctor
by Damon Galgut
When Laurence Waters arrives at his post in a rural hospital in new South Africa, and convinces Dr. Ruth Ngema, head of the hospital, to set up clinics in the villages, the crime and corruption that follow put everyone involved in danger.