In hierdie versameling essays ondersoek meesterverteller Jan Nel die onvernietigbaarheid van die lewe: Immer is daar seisoene. Immer is daar ná die eb weer ’n gety; ná die winterdood weer lentelewe; ná die val weer opstaan; ná die leed weer vreugde. Dieselfde maand wat liggame opeis, stoot vars blomme uit die verwarmende grond. Uit die dooie takke van ’n boom, uit die dooie winter, kom nuwe lewe. Hoekom dan twyfel dat daar vir die mens insgelyks hoop kan wees? Op sy tipiese wyse en beeldende vertelstyl, deurweef met beide diepte en kwinkslae, ontbloot hy daardie tikkies van die ewigheid in elke liewe ding, van ’n melodie se soetheid tot goeters in ’n deurmekaar laai.

Slot van die dag: Gedagtes is die skrywer se mymeringe oor ouderdom en die einde van die lewe, saam met verspreide herinnerings van ’n algemene aard, om ’n ryk geskakeerde beeld te verskaf van ’n skrywerslewe van byna tagtig jaar. Die reeks outobiografiese boeke wat met ’n Duitser aan die Kaap, Merksteen en Die laaste Afrikaanse boek begin het, word hiermee afgesluit. Dit is 'n baie persoonlike boek oor ouderdom, die skryfproses en selfbeskikking met kommentaar op oud word en wees, met inbegrip van praktiese wenke, en heelwat inligting oor die moontlike en waarskynlike einde van die lewe. Die element van afskeid en gelatenheid is deurlopend. Die ouderdom is teenswoordig die vernaamste onderwerp van sy oorpeinsing, en die vernaamste element in sy daagliks ervarings. Die verwysings en aanhalings is treffend en spreek van iemand wat sy leeswereld ook sy leefwereld maak. Ten slotte verduidelik die skrywer sy bevrydende besluit oor selfdood.

Hierdie novelle sluit aan by twee vorige prosawerke van Dolf van Niekerk, naamlik die jeugverhaal Karel Kousop (1985) en Koms van die hyreen (1994). Kroniek van turf is gedeeltelik ’n prequel vir die vorige twee boeke. Dit vertel die geskiedenis van Gerrit, ’n werknemer van die VOC, wat in die 18de eeu begin boer op ’n leningsplaas in die Roggeland. Omstandighede dwing hom om na die distrik Swellendam te verskuif. Sy twee seuns, Johannes en Daniel, soek albei later ook na ’n veiliger blyplek, aanvanklik in die Kamdebo. Onrus op die Oosgrens laat hulle verder trek; Johannes na wat tans die Vrystaat is en Daniel saam met die Voortrekkers na Natal, waar hy en sy vrou slagoffers van die Bloukransmoorde word. Waar Johannes hom op ’n plaas tussen die Riet- en die Modderrivier vestig, maak hy weer kontak met die Kousop-Boesmans wat hy vroeer naby die Gariep ontmoet het. Tussen Johannes se nageslag en die Boesmans ontwikkel ’n vae, onsekere band wat oor meer as ’n eeu sou strek. Onverwags maak een van Johannes se nasate, Johan, tydens die Bosoorlog kennis met ’n Boesmanspoorsnyer wat ook ’n Kousop-nasaat blyk te wees en wat ’n bepalende rol in ’n grondeis op Johan se plaas tussen die twee riviere sou speel.

Pots and Poetry and other essays is a collection of some of South African philosopher Martin Versfeld’s most popular works, as well as three previously uncollected essays. Versfeld enriches and enlarges our understanding of the world by synthesising Eastern and Western thought – along the way demonstrating that Plato and Confucius were brothers in arms – and by taking a stance on the environment that is far ahead of its time.

A personal and powerful essay on loss from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. 'Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language' On 10 June 2020, the scholar James Nwoye Adichie died suddenly in Nigeria. In this tender and powerful essay, expanded from the original New Yorker text, his daughter, a self-confessed daddy's girl, remembers her beloved father. Notes on Grief is at once a tribute to a long life of grace and wisdom, the story of a daughter's fierce love for a parent, and a revealing examination of the layers of loss and the nature of grief.

Widely recognized as Canada's finest literary humorist, Stephen Leacock was a prolific author, publishing over sixty books during his lifetime, in addition to countless articles and pamphlets. He was also a devoted correspondent, writing hundreds of letters to friends, relatives, and business associates. Illustrated with several original photographs, The Letters of Stephen Leacock brings together over 800 letters, most of them never before published. Together they give a vivid picture of one of the twentieth century's most distinguished men of letters, a man who was honest, compassionate, and committed to his craft. From the brief, unpolished lines he wrote as a boy to his father, to the final letters he wrote before his death, Leacock's correspondence reveals much about the man behind the humour: the devoted son, husband, and father; the distinguished McGill professor; the proud Canadian; the generous uncle; the social critic; and the private citizen consumed and deeply troubled by the two world wars. Fans of Leacock's many books of humour will find glimpses of his trademark wit in letters on subjects ranging from the Scottish penchant for whiskey to the beauty of the west. More than a humorist, Leacock was an intellectual and an educator who wrote serious works on many topics, including political economy, education, and social reform, and many of his strong views on these subjects are laid out plainly in letters to associates and friends. He was also an astute businessman, and was, as letters to numerous publishers show, a writer by profession. As Leacock himself wrote of his letters to a friend and associate, 'We wrote in the plain straighforward way only possible in such an interchange of letters, about what we thought of this new world that seemed to overwhelm us in our old age.' These are the letters of a gentleman, written with charm, grace, and humour, occassionally blunt and assertive in dealings with publishers, but - in keeping with his humour - never mean-spirited or designed to injure. Together, they represent a fascinating collection that will captivate anyone who enjoys Canadian fiction or history. David Staines has spent 15 years bringing together Leacock's letters, many of them from private collections in Britain, the United States, and Canada. His ten chapter introductions place these carefully selected and annotated letters in the context of Leacock's life and work.

A personal testimony detailing the life of a teenage patient in a tuberculosis hospital taken from his daily diary entries. Like others he was cooped up and restricted, while gratefully receiving care and treatment from surgeons and nursing staff under the watchful eye of strict yet sympathetic Sisters and Matrons. This is an entertaining read involving co-operation and modest revolt including nruse chasing, illicit pub crawls, and regular carpeting by the Ward Sister and Medical Superintendent. Yet accompanying the lighter moments is an important medical, social and personal record of the 1950s sanatorium experience.

Die geliefde en gevierde kortverhaalskrywer Hennie Aucamp is op 21 Maart 2014, slegs twee maande na sy 80ste verjaardag oorlede. In hierdie herinneringsboek word verskillende fasette van sy lewe deur familie, vriende en medeskrywers belig. Onder die familielede wat bydraes tot die boek gelewer het, is sy suster Rina wat herinneringe aan hulle kinderjare op die familieplaas Rus-mijn-ziel opdiep en sy neef Inus Aucamp wat meer vertel van die vestiging van die Aucamp-familie in die Stormberge. Die skryfster Margaret Bakkes, wat ook sy kleinniggie is en op 'n buurplaas grootgeword het, vertel hoe sy en Hennie reeds as kinders teenoor mekaar bely het dat hulle wil skryf. Daar is ook bydraes deur Marius en Christiaan Bakkes, wat oor Hennie se belangstelling in die natuur. Daar is besondere opstelle deur medeskrywers Lina Spies, Aletta Lubbe (gebore Aucamp), Danie Botha en Abraham de Vries, terwyl Daniel Hugo en Joan Hambidge gedigte opgedra aan Hennie gelewer het. Die radiopersoonlikhede Monica Breed en Margot Luyt skryf oor Hennie se ruimhartigheid en sy vriend Nico Loubser oor Hennie se laaste dae. Foto’s van Philip de Vos en Marius Bakkes skep 'n visuele beeld van die woordman Aucamp.

A personal and powerful essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. 'I would like to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world. A fairer world. A world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves. And this is how to start: we must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently...' What does "feminism" mean today? In this personal, eloquently argued essay - adapted from her much-admired Tedx talk of the same name - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author's exploration of what it means to be a woman now - an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.

Shining Bright Lights in Dark Places is a recount of the time spent in prison by the Television Presenter Ashley Blake. Taken directly from the diary he wrote in prison day by day, capturing his feelings, both personal and those expressed by others at the time. The rights or wrongs of his situation where not the point, but the futility, frustration, and the deprivation of liberty which he experienced he felt compelled to tell in this bare bones autobiography.

Africa Writes Back was published in 2008 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the publication of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart - the novel which provided the impetus for the foundation of the Heinemann African Writers Series in 1962 with Chinua Achebe as the Editorial Adviser. With the 50th anniversary of the AWS being celebrated in 2012, James Currey's book has a new resonance. '... not only the story of a publishing enterprise of great significance; it is also a large part of the story of African literature and its dissemination in the latter half of the twentieth century. The manuscript is full of the drama of that enterprise, the drama of dealing with the mother house, William Heinemann, of dealing with the often intractable political constraints dominating the intellectual space across Africa, and not least of all dealing with the writers themselves - with their ambitions, their temperaments, their financial needs and, at time, their perception of a colonial relationship between themselves and a European publishing house.' - Clive Wake, Emeritus Professor of Modern Languages, University of Kent at Canterbury. North America: Ohio U Press; South Africa: Wits U Press; Nigeria: HEBN; Kenya: EAEP; Zimbabwe: Weaver Press

Stafford Cripps cut an incongruous figure in British politics in the 1930s. His fortuitous appointment as Ambassador to Moscow in 1940 secured him a prominent position in the War Cabinet. His meticulously kept diary describes the change in his political fortune and bears witness to key German-Soviet events during World War 2.

Wanneer ’n mens aan die ervarings van Boerevroue en -kinders tydens die Anglo-Boereoorlog dink, is die outomatiese konnotasie die van konsentrasiekamplyding. ’n Fassinerende en grotendeels onbekende buitebeentjie in hierdie genre is die dagboek van Anna Barry, waaruit ’n unieke en veelkantige beeld van die oorlog na vore kom. Aan die een kant van Anna se oorlogservaring staan haar broer Japie – ’n begeesterde jong soldaat wat uiteindelik as krygsgevangene op Ceylon sterf. Hierteenoor le haar geliefde pa Thomas (aanvanklik ’n gerespekteerde veldkornet) al in 1900 die eed van neutraliteit af, en wag hy die grootste gedeelte van die oorlog in die neutrale Basoetoland uit. Vir die tienderjarige Anna is die oorlog as gevolg hiervan ’n uiters verwarrende ervaring en haar dagboek bied ’n sonderlinge blik op die gefragmenteerdheid en buigbaarheid van konsepte soos “identiteit”, “nasie” en “volk”. Die feit dat die dagboek eers in 1960 vir die eerste keer gepubliseer is en daarna grotendeels in die vergetelheid verval het, is verder veelseggend in terme van hoe Anna self verwag het haar ervarings kort na die oorlog ontvang sou word – maar ook in terme van hoe blinde lojaliteit aan sekere groepe so dikwels in die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrikaners vereis is. Die dagboekteks, geboekstut deur Ena Jansen se insiggewende en verhelderende voor- en nawoord, bied nie slegs ’n sonderlinge blik op die Anglo-Boereoorlog nie, maar is verweef met kwessies van taal, politieke mag en sosiale status wat vandag nog net so relevant is soos toe die dagboek geskryf is.

Caustically humorous and polemically compulsive, Trump Rant is a work of meticulous political portraiture: a deep-delving and epoch-spanning investigation into the nature of power in American life, made luminous by Agee's nuanced, exploratory understanding of authoritarian drift and thwarted democratic aspiration in a number of world-historical contexts, from Belfast to the Balkans to the formerly Confederate South. Free-roaming in its breadth of reference and tonal range, the Rant is at once viscerally personal and unsettlingly resonant, infused throughout with an almost hypnotic sense of scale, largesse, and historical moment. Already renowned as a poet of emotional delicacy and singular stylistic vision, Agee's hallmark gifts of writerly intimacy and ethical resolve are here expanded and reconfigured on a panoramic canvas - moving from a pared-back opening section to the accelerating pace and barrage-like linguistic assaults of the latter addenda. But for all its freewheeling furies, shifting emotional registers and Kubrick-like black humour, it remains a remarkably formal work, moored to the relentlessly dangerous drumbeat of Donald J. Trump. The result is a combination of long-form radicalism and eclectic satire, startingly unique in its blend of aphorism, acuity and epic cultural imagining. Composed chronologically for nearly four years (from early 2017 until Election Day 2020), Trump Rant is a triumph of artistic witness and denunciation; an urgent retort to a global culture of imperilled legal standards and depleted literary response; and an incisive model of enlightenment and outrage in a "post-truth" world being visibly darkened by its criminal shadows.

This is the first book of essays by a major new Irish non-fiction writer from the West of Ireland, comparable to the celebrated Kilkenny essayist Hubert Butler first published by The Lilliput Press and subsequently widely acclaimed. Gerard McCarthy's writing is no less distinguished than Butler's. McCarthy writes of his book: "Perhaps the Philosophers who had the most enduring influence on me were the contrary figures of Nietzsche and Marcus Aurelius. The reading of each was an antidote to the other, but I was drawn to both by an instinctive affinity.They were augmented subsequently by the gargantuan figure of Michel de Montaigne. My interest has continued to be in the region where Philosophy merges into Literature, with a preference for a language of metaphor rather than of abstract reasoning.These eight essays were written over the course of more than a decade.The fact that they have all been published in the one place, by the good offices of Irish Pages, has allowed me see the continuity between them, and to hope that they might be seen by the reader to form a unity."

This book makes a unique contribution to the literature on Pan-Africanism by providing biographical essays of major Pan-African figures, both well known and less known. In so doing, it analyses Pan-Africanism as a school of thought, and connects this intellectual thinking to the lived experiences of those who practised and promoted such a world view.

It covers well known Pan-Africanists such as W.E.B. Du Bois, George Padmore, Kwame Nkrumah and Frantz Fanon, as well as well-known figures not typically identified with Pan-Africanism in the mainstream, such as Maya Angelou and Mariama Ba.

The book also covers other areas, including the history of Pan-Africanism and the quest for reparations, pioneers, politicians and activists of Pan-Africanism, and Pan-Africanism in the humanities and social sciences, making it a great introductory reader for those interested in the subject. The book chapters are short, concise and easy to read. The authors are engaging and cover both historical and contemporary topics of interest to a wide audience, including university students. Attention has been directed at inclusive geographical and gender representation.

This long-awaited selection of essays and reviews from one of Ireland's leading critics brings together a wealth of ref lection, observation and astute literary comment. It ranges in time from William Carleton to Edna O'Brien, and in subject matter from recent Irish poetry to ghosts, children's books and MI5. Patricia Craig holds strong opinions on literary mer- it, and some of the essays collected in this book are less than adulatory. For example, she has included a highly critical, but good-humoured and amusing re- assessment of Somerville and Ross; and a couple of recent critical studies come in for a somewhat sharp evaluation.Where the tone is moderately unadmiring it is always justified (if provocative), and contributes to the overall balance of the collection. In short, Kilclief & Other Essays presents an original, diverting, intelligent and thought-provoking assem- bly of essays and reviews. Patricia Craig's latest book should appeal to the general reader as well as to those whose interests are more specialised, and it deserves a wide audience, not only in Ireland but also in the United Kingdom and beyond.

This book of friends (liber amicorum) is a tribute to Professor JC Sonnekus by colleagues and friends from Europe and South Africa to celebrate his more than 40 years in the academy and his contribution to law and its development. Authors from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa make contributions on the multitude of subjects and areas of jurisdiction to which professor Sonnekus contributed over the years. Subjects that are discussed, are divided under a general heading, the recognition and enforcement of judgments, prescription, uncertainty regarding common law rules and how the courts sometimes act in a law-making capacity, conditional cession and `who has the King's voice' - looking back at the convictions of the people and the legal convictions in the nineteenth century and how it could still lead to new insights. The law of delict leads to contributions on accountability of children, the law concerning liability in general and liability for an omission. The law of succession contains contributions on wills and trustees; the section on estoppel and enrichment touches on aspects of estoppel and the Turquand rule, as well as Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes. International developments are discussed in the section on the law of marriage and family law with contributions on marriage contracts and the consequences of divorce under German law, general matrimonial property law in Europe and the influence of the Belgian constitutional court on family law. Insolvency law includes business rescue and the actio Pauliana and the law of contract contains a potpourri of contributions on the interpretation of contracts, perpetual contracts, evictions and independent warranties. The law of things (property) section contains contributions on property law and habitatio, credit security law, fragmented property, syndicated loans, servitudes and digital assets. This collection of essays concludes with two contributions on insurance law relating to self-steering and distance-steered vehicles and the sources of insurance law.

Essays from a Native American grandfather to help navigate life's difficult experiences. Offered in the oral traditions of the Nez Perce, Native American writer W. S. Penn records the conversations he held with his granddaughter, lovingly referred to as ""Bean,"" as he guided her toward adulthood while confronting society's interest in possessions, fairness, and status. Drawing on his own family history and Native mythology, Penn charts a way through life where each endeavor is a journey-an opportunity to love, to learn, or to interact-rather than the means to a prize at the end. Divided into five parts, Penn addresses topics such as the power of words, race and identity, school, and how to be. In the essay "In the Nick of Names," Penn takes an amused look at the words we use for people and how their power, real or imagined, can alter our perception of an entire group. To Have and On Hold is an essay about wanting to assimilate into a group but at the risk of losing a good bit of yourself. "A Harvest Moon" is a humorous anecdote about a Native grandfather visiting his granddaughter's classroom and the absurdities of being a professional Indian. "Not Nobody" uses "Be All that You Can Be Week" at Bean's school to reveal the lessons and advantages of being a "nobody." In "From Paper to Person," Penn imagines the joy that may come to Bean when she spends time with her Paper People-three-foot-tall drawings, mounted on stiff cardboard-and as she grows into a young woman like her mom, able to say she is a person who is happy with what she has and not sorry for what she doesn't. Comical and engaging, the essays in Raising Bean will appeal to readers of all backgrounds and interests, especially those with a curiosity in language, perception, humor, and the ways in which Native people guide their families and friends with stories.

In the Shade of an African Baobab: Tom Bennett's Legacy is a collection of essays published to honour and thank Tom Bennett for his generous contribution to scholarly work over the years in the field of legal pluralism and African jurisprudence, as well as for his mentorship and friendship. The book brings together a collection of work by esteemed scholars from multidisciplinary fields, though the work is focused on aspects of law, culture and religion. The common thread through all the contributions is Tom. His scholarly influence, visible in each of the contributions, can be compared to the mighty Baobab tree: a large iconic, culturally important and majestic tree indigenous to Africa.