Reisgenote bevat ʼn keur uit die kortverhaalbundel, Die reisgenoot, wat oorspronklik in 2013 ingedien is as kreatiewe komponent van ʼn meestersgraadstudie aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (onder leiding van prof HP van Coller).

As simboliese “reisgenote” is enkele gedigte getoonset wat tematies aansluit by Joanita se eie verhale. Die “reisgenote” is tematies van aard, maar ook in die gesprek tussen tekste, musikale werke en die kunstenaars wat betrokke was by die projek.

For Hannah, born from Nandi, and adopted by Patrick and Fiona, it is not so easy to work out who she really is. Is she the privileged daughter of an upper middle class British couple or is she an unwanted South African child who needed an adoptive family? How can she reconcile these two personas, especially when she looks so different from her adoptive parents?

In her questioning mind, she appears to be not white enough for Britain, but not black enough for Africa. As she grows older, her identity issues become greater until they threaten to engulf her.

Her parents, wanting to be faithful to a promise they made to her birth mother, but also desperately frightened of losing their child to her birth heritage, are not forthcoming when it comes to answering her questions. This makes her feel she can’t trust them and alienates her further. It is only when she re-establishes a connection with the country of her birth that Hannah starts to work through the issues that trouble her in her search to find the peace that appears to be so elusive.

Lady Die het huisvesting gevind in die ruïne van ’n kerk, in ‘n stadsbuurt genaamd Simoelégri. Baie vlugtelinge het hier opgeëindig, ná eers die virus en toe nog rampe tot sosiale onrus gelei het. In ander dele van die land is daar nog ’n mate van orde, maar nie in Simoelégri nie. In Simoelégri is jou beste vriend die straat se dwelmhandelaar, en jou enigste bron van hitte 'n konkavuur. Oral loop die gerugte van groter onrus en geweld.

Aangrypend. Simoelégri is die wenner van die Groot Afrikaanse Romanwedstryd.

In London, surgeon Carl Kleinhans faces a moral dilemma.

Should he perform a risky living donor liver transplant on a patient with a history of alcoholism? Especially when this patient is relying on his estranged Trinidadian son to be the donor? And what of Carl’s own dark past that is threatening to sink his relationship? Meanwhile, at Carl’s childhood home in South Africa, young Promise becomes aware of things spoken of in hushed tones.

A sweeping story of betrayal, secrets, hope and healing.

Twenty-nine-year-old Themba is a nihilistic, depressed, and suicidal artist whose dream is to become a successful novelist. With all the failure and suffering he's experiencing, it seems as though his life is stuck without any purpose and meaning. Everything seems to be going well for his friends, but not for him. His brother and father hate him for his ambitious but dead dream. Worse, Themba still lives in poverty with his parents in an abandoned house.

However, Themba has one passionate reader of his books, a woman called Yana. She's weird and has no friends, and volunteers at a local orphanage. Yana is the good Samaritan of the neighbourhood, cheerful and happy, but few people seem to like her. Themba begins to question what makes Yana so odd but yet so comfortable with her life even though she doesn't have much to be happy about. His curiosity leads him closer to her, and his life changes forever.

With the unexpected arrival of a package from South Africa, the epic love stories of three vastly different women slowly unfold.

But what did the package contain that has forced the women of the Gordon household to finally reveal their secrets? Why did they conceal the truth from each other for so many years?

As Hannah, Beatrice and Zendaya share their passionate tales from the depths of their hearts; they unravel relationships of racial segregation, forbidden love, societal stigma, seduction and abuse. What they are yet to discover is that one man links their stories. But whose true love is he?

Embark on a journey of mystery, suspense, drama and love that spans across three generations.

Casey Olivier van Velddrif in die Sandveld aan die skilderagtige Weskus het alles: ’n goeie man, twee suksesvolle seuns en lekker kantoorwerk by die munisipaliteit.

Dog, reeds van haar tienerjare smag sy na die groen gras aan die ander kant van die draad. Helaas ook na wat baie mense sal afkeur as onsedelikheid. Dit lê in haar gene. Afkomstig uit die geslag van haar ontugtige oumagrootjie, Anna Smit, kan sy beswaarlik beter vaar, verdedig sy haarself.

Die roman begin in 1861, strek oor vier geslagte en eindig in 2020, die jaar van die groot Covid-19-pandemie – op ’n verrasssende hoogtepunt.

13 twisted tales of music, magick, mayhem & murder.

Some torn from headlines in sunny South Africa where, for many, these are part of everyday life.

♠

Shop for shrunken heads in a village that time forgot.

Witness an ancient ritual passed down from the Aztecs through Jack the Ripper to modern-day London.

Savour the sweet taste of revenge in a French restaurant.

Sit in on the Grim Reaper’s disciplinary hearing.

And experience life on the streets in 1980s Hillbrow as two teenagers struggle to survive a violent rollercoaster ride through Johannesburg’s underground club scene.

♠

John West has won awards and even small amounts of money for his scribblings over the years. One of his stories was recently longlisted in the top 200 entries out of 5 000 submitted to the international Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

His first novel – Burning Roses, a decadent tale of sex, drugs, rock n roll & magick – is available online.

Die vrou van die klippesee vertel hoe die lewe vir Hendrik tot nou toe gerol het soos ’n stormsee. Hy is ’n visserman van ’n klein dorpie aan die Weskus wat jou aan Paternoster laat dink en in sy lewe het hy reeds sy broer aan die dood afgestaan. Maar dit is die verdwyning van sy vrou wat hom bitter maak en na die papsak wyn laat reik. Só staan hy dronk en droewig in die koue see, reg om homself te verdrink terwyl sy hond op die strand vir hom wag wanneer die roman begin. Hendrik se lewe begin handomkeer verander wanneer hy ’n gewonde gedierte, miskien iets soos ’n meermin, huis toe bring. Die vrou van die klippesee wys hoe goed fiksie sosiale en politieke kwessies kan ondersoek wanneer die skrywer lig werp op die lewe van ’n karakter wat aanvanklik niksseggend en nietig blyk te wees.

Marico Moon is a collection of 60 stories by the well-known, much-loved Herman Charles Bosman. Almost all of the Oom Schalk Lourens classics are included; also some less well known, but equally brilliant and amusing stories.

The ‘problem’ with many Bosman stories is that, as previously published, they use language that is today considered by many to be unacceptably offensive. For this reason, Bosman has been in serious danger of being sidelined by all except diehard fans. In a quest to overcome this difficulty, the publisher experimented with minor editorial adjustments and omissions, and concluded that Bosman can be presented in ways that faithfully present his storytelling brilliance without giving any offence. The result is Marico Moon: 60 stories with minimal editing, retaining the integrity of the original text.

These Bosman stories represent a superbly eclectic collection, with no consciously unifying factor other than that they inspire readers to smile, laugh, think, wonder or wander. The stories in Marico Moon are 60 excellent reasons why Lionel Abrahams referred to Bosman as ‘a South African literary genius’. Volmaan oor die Marico, which contains the same stories translated into Afrikaans by Hendrik Jansen, will be published simultaneously with Marico Moon.

When Lily Westwood dies of cancer, her family are plunged into grief and despair. However, it is not only the loss of Lily which causes their desolation - it’s honouring her dying wish that her husband, William, and twin sister, Frith, leave the UK to raise her daughter, Plum, in Lily’s beloved South Africa. Together, William, Frith and Plum must fulfil Lily’s last wish and confront the challenges this presents to each of them.

William, broken and remorseful, buys North Wind Manor, a decaying Edwardian house, and buries his misery in trying to restore the property to its former glory. As the three become immersed in this project, it is clear that William’s obsession with hiding the rot and decay of the mansion mirror his desperation to conceal the misdeeds and wretchedness of his past.

Lily’s identical twin sister, Frith, resents her loss of freedom as she finds herself caring for William and Plum in a damp, gloomy house and a city alien to her. Increasingly she frets over the impact this will have on her spirit and career as an artist. With enormous courage, Frith tries to carve out an identity for herself as her future becomes increasingly tenuous.

Eleven-year old Plum, sensitive, bright, and imaginative falls in love with North Wind Manor at first sight. Upon finding a century-old diary written by the manor’s former occupant, Plum becomes enthralled by the intrigue and history of her new home, so much so, that it consumes her every waking thought until she begins to believe the diary’s author is a spirit inhabiting the manor.

This compelling story interweaves between past and present to explore the twisted dynamics of a family brought closer by sorrow, regret, mortality, love – and an understanding that the truth is not always simple.

Not all problems can be solved with a mute button.

Everyone knows Rebecca Marley. She’s the crazy, brave and introspective woman who spent nine months without talking. Everyone loves her. She’s raw, honest and relatable. She’s also rich and famous, although I’m sure you knew that already. You’ve probably read her articles, or her book, or seen one of her many interviews. She’s also socially anxious, self-conscious and self-degrading, but she tries to keep that to herself. Her once-silent world has changed, and the noise has engulfed her. It’s also about to get noisier, as Rebecca agrees to a new challenge, perhaps even crazier than before. This story picks up from Mute, and follows Rebecca on a new journey, one which we all face today. It begs the question, ‘how do we find quiet in a deafening world?’

The book, Dry Tears, attempts to highlight the daily struggles of women in the townships and villages, concerning various stereotypes and other forms of unfair treatment. It showcases that abuse is not only physical, but emotional as well, so the author exposes other forms of abuse and mistreatment, mostly under the pretext of upholding values and culture. Although the setting is based in real places, the storyline is entirely the thought of the writer.

The main character, Ntsakisi, goes through a lot of challenging circumstances, trials and tribulations due to the set-up of her community and how society perceives women in general. After losing her husband to a motor vehicle incident, her in-laws subject her to extreme levels of emotional abuse. She is left to fend for her two children alone, yet they never stop involving themselves in her private affairs.

She finds love in a man called Mokoena, a teacher at a local school, but both her family and her in-laws connive to deny her the opportunity to marry her lover.

Dr Lily De Angelo is counting down the final weeks before her wedding to Owen Fisher, making sure everything is perfect. The seating arrangements, for one. Owen’s dad from Elsies River on the Cape Flats will have to be seated far away from Lily’s snobbish parents who keep insinuating that Owen is not good enough for their trust fund baby. Owen might look like a young Robert de Niro, but it seems they are all too aware that he is of mixed Capetonian rather than Italian stock. As if that matters!

But Lily’s seating arrangement woes are nothing compared to the shock she gets when Owen’s ex Courtney Hay shows up with her fifteen-year-old mini me, Chiara. With silver bullet suitcases in tow they have come to break the news that Owen might be Chiara’s dad. Suddenly everything goes pear-shaped for Lily, including her ass – and that's despite the incentive bonus to her personal trainer.

Courtney and Chiara move in with Lily and Owen and not only is the ex from hell making eyes at him, but Owen seems a bit too happy at the thought of potentially being a dad. Lily and Owen had decided long ago to commit to love and marraige, but without the baby carriage, thank you very much. Is he changing his mind about children, about her?

Being Lily is a story with equal amounts of humour and depth, exploring what it means to live, love, and commit in the changing times of happy-(n)ever-after.

Keira en die mense van Walkers Village leer ons dat elke mens 'n kans het om oor te begin. Dat elke mens die reg het om oor te begin.

Vir die inwoners van Walkers Village is Keira se manier van dinge doen aanvanklik baie vreemd en ongehoord. Maar Keira verstaan dat regte mense regte probleme het. En ook dat regte mense soms so 'n bietjie hulp nodig het om die regte probleme op te los. Al klink dit aanvanklik vreemd en ongehoord. Saam met Keira leer ons om te verstaan dat die lewe nie altyd regverdig is nie. Dat goeie mense se paaie soms met donker siele se paaie kruis. Dat ons nie altyd kan kies wie ons pad kruis nie, maar dat ons wel kan kies hoe ons daai pad van ons stap.

Want hoe jy jou pad stap, is wat saak maak. Nie hoe jy jou storie vertel nie.

We all know our final destination but we have no idea what will cross our path as we journey there.

It’s 2008 and the height of Zimbabwe’s economic demise. A group of passengers is huddled in a Toyota Quantum about to embark on a treacherous expedition to the City of Gold. Amongst them is Gugulethu, who is hoping to be reconciled with her mother; Dumisani, an ambitious young man who believes he will strike it rich, Chamunorwa and Chenai, twins running from their troubled past; and Portia and Nkosi, a mother and son desperate to be reunited with a husband and father they see once a year.

They have paid a high price for the dangerous passage to what they believe is a better life; an escape from the vicious vagaries of their present life in Bulawayo. In their minds, the streets of Johannesburg are paved with gold but they will have to dig deep to get close to any gold, dirtying themselves in the process.

Told with brave honesty and bold description, the stories of the individual immigrants are simultaneously heart-breaking and heart-warming.

Leon van Nierop se blitsverkoper Plesierengel verskyn twintig jaar gelede en dit is in hierdie boek waar duisende lesers vir Tristan Hansen ontmoet, ’n engel van plesier, ’n manlike prostituut waarvoor Johannesburg se rykste vroue duisende rande betaal.

Dit is egter nie die volle verhaal nie: hoe het die enigmatiese Tristan tot hier gekom? In Katelknaap kry die leser ’n blik op die vroue wat hom gevorm het en van genot geleer het. Veral saam met een vrou, ver weg in Positano, ’n dorpie in Italië, kon hy hom loswikkel van die beklemming van sy konserwatiewe ma wat hom ná sy pa se selfmoord alleen grootmaak.

Maar dit was ook nie die laaste beklemming nie. Op die vooraand van Tristan se 27ste verjaardag vind ons hom in sy luukse dakwoonstel in Maboneng, onrustig ná ’n vreemde foonoproep vol dreigende stilte. Terwyl hy kan voel hoe hy deur ’n verkyker dopgehou word en dat die afloerder met iets anders as begeerte na hom kyk, reik sy herinneringe terug na gelukkiger dae in Positano, en na sy opleiding in die kuns van liefdemaak.

Magaya is the unemployed graduate who lost his parents due to crime and was left with nothing else apart from a four roomed house. The community of Siyabusa adopted him. To thank them he was involved in the fight against crime and drug abuse which saw him recruited full time by crime fighting agencies. Magaya met a love of his life Nozuko, who was a shareholder and Director of Marembera store. The two tired the knot and due to family commitment decided to promote Sbongile, their friend to run the fort on their behalf who stole all the investment and savings.

Nomsa is a beautiful college girl who was forced by her parents to marry a man chosen by them. He was from the economic social class as them. While at college she fell in love with Musa whom she loved dearly but her parents instructed her to break up with and follow their orders.

Impi was born during the Mozambican civl war and was abducted to join renamo as a child soldier. He also participated forcefully in all mutilation and killing activities.

Maria was a medical doctor graduate who took over the reins as a chief after the death of her father, Masombuka. While accepting the crown she encountered discrimination and prejudice as a woman.

At the time she became the chief of Masombuka village, traditional norms and cultural practices was against women taking part in any powerful positions in the community. Maria broke all taboo and became the chief, much to the annoyance of her uncle Gwebu who was earmarking himself for that position. When he realised that the traditional house had amended the rules to allow her to sit in the tribal court and preside over all matters pertaining the community, he decided to hunt for Amos. Amos was the son of chief Masombuka who had gone awol with his mother when he was very young. He was actually the rightful heir to take over his father but because he could not be found some of the elders decided to crown Maria.

Gwebu plans to successfully locate Amos, to wage and fuel fire between Amos and Maria.

Valley Of Heaven And Earth is woven with the strands of remembrance from days of earliest childhood, intertwined with perspective and reflection.

Jayson Mayer, the principal character was raised in one of the most magnificent natural environments in the world, on the southern tip of Africa. The fishing village of Hermanus was populated by locals who made up the diverse people of South Africa including a community of several Jewish families who retained religion, tradition and identity in a society fraught with ethnic division and racism. Returning to South Africa, years after emigrating to Israel, memories are reignited.

Drama, comedy and tragedy follow in this compelling work of narrative fiction.

Thirteen year old James Clarke is always being picked on in school. He hates sports, and he particularly hates Stingers, a schoolyard game in which children throw tennis balls at each other. The other kids always seem to throw the ball harder, when it's at him.

His physical education teacher, Mr Evans, has no sympathy for the boy, believing he just needs to toughen up a bit. When James returns home from school after a rough game of Stingers, his mother is mortified when she sees the bruises on his arm and chest. She phones the school to try and put a stop to the cruel bullying of her son. But her phone call only makes things worse, as the bullying escalates to levels that nobody imagined possible.

Een plaas. Een familie. Een bloedlyn. Sewe geslagte.

In 1838 vlug Pieter de Witt uit die Oos-Kaap na Natal om ná maande van uiterste ontbering op die walle van die Tugelarivier ’n hoekpaal in te kap en sy plaas af te tree. Hy noem die plaas Donkerland. Dit is hier waar sewe geslagte De Witts die wel en wee van ’n ontluikende volk beleef: die Groot Trek, die stryd teen die Zoeloes, die Anglo-Boereoorlog, Groot Depressie, 1948-verkiesing, Grensoorlog, Soweto-opstande en die oorgang tot ’n demokratiese Suid-Afrika. Vir honderd agt-en-vyftig jaar leef die De Witts die triomf en die smaad van die geskiedenis op ’n enkele stuk grond uit; ná sewe geslagte begin dit deurskemer wat dit beteken om in hierdie aarde ’n hoekpaal in te slaan en ’n plaas af te tree.

Donkerland is die eerste aflewering in Deon Opperman se Afrikaner-trilogie.

Dis waar dit geëindig het, toe die trekker se wiel Klara se pa papgedruk het. Toe hulle ná haar pa se dood van Boplaas moes weg en in die wit lokasie gaan woon, toe was alles verby. En dit was nog lank voordat al agt die kinders gebore is wat die agt knope in Klara se naelstring voorspel het. Maar verby was die tyd dat Klara die dae onder die wilgerboom op die damwal langs die lusernland kon omdroom, of met rooi koeldrank en koekies voor die stoof kon sit en luister na Polla se stories oor waar die bul vir oom Slap Soois geskop het.

Boplaas het hulle afgeskud.

Of so het Klara gedink. Maar die waarheid is dat Boplaas nie klaar was met haar nie. Haar susters kon wegkom – Leen met haar oneerbiedigheid en Martie deur met ’n halwe Duitser te trou en landuit te vlug – maar nie sy nie. Iemand moes omsien na Ma wie se kop heeltemal uitgehaak het, en iemand moes help om Ma se fratskind, Henk, deur matriek te sien, en daarby moes Klara ook nog haar eie geleerdheid kry.

Eers toe die ding met Dries, Boplaas se erfgenaam, op die rotse loop, was dit asof Klara haar kon losmaak van haar verlede. Maar dit is juis toe sy uiteindelik weggaan dat sy agterkom hoe onlosmaaklik sy verstrengel is met daardie plaas en sy mense.

Klara is ’n verhaal met ’n onweerstaanbare aardsheid. Snaaks én hartverskeurend. Dis nie aldag dat ’n mens jou so kan verlustig in die vreemde draaie wat die lewe gooi nie.