In partnership with Exclusive Books, the awards this year marks the 35th anniversary of the non-fiction award which has, over three decades, showcased the most astute, critical and incisive non-fiction writing in SA. The fiction prize, now in its 24th year, honours authors who have crafted and created astounding imagined worlds. The winners will each receive R100,000.
NON-FICTION
Criteria: The illumination of truthfulness, especially those forms of it that are new, delicate, unfashionable and fly in the face of power; compassion; elegance of writing; and intellectual and moral integrity.
JUDGES
Kevin Ritchie
Sewela Langeni
Prof Hlonipha Mokoena
CHAIR OF JUDGES KEVIN RITCHIE SAYS:
It has been another tough though incredibly rewarding session judging the Sunday Times non-fiction award. It is an incredible privilege to be able to read the cream of the country’s non-fiction publishing crop and then have the honour of winnowing the 25 books that were initially chosen, down to just five.
It is trite, but so very true, that every book that made it onto the longlist was already a winner by their inclusion. The journey to the five was steep in places with sharp turns and the usual forays down rabbit holes of debate, but the decision was unanimous.
The shortlist is a true reflection of what we honestly believe are the best of the non-fiction list of last year.
The five cover the gamut of the South African experience; from uncovering the history that shaped the philosophical underpinning of black ideological resistance to colonialism to the lived experiences of those who survived apartheid; one who made it to the very apex of their profession; others who struggle to win back what is rightfully theirs; and one who successfully channelled her experiences into other writing. Finally, there is the decades-long bid to pierce the mystery that continues to cloak one of apartheid’s enduring abominations.
It is not enough simply to tell a story, the Sunday Times non-fiction award demands that the winning entry illuminate truthfulness in forms that are new, delicate, unfashionable and flying the face of power. There is also a requirement for compassion, elegance in writing, intellectual and replete with moral integrity.
All the books on the shortlist meet those criteria – in different measure. The question of which one will emerge as the winner has still to be decided. It will be another wonderful conversation for the judges.
Here is the non-fiction shortlist in order of the author’s surname:
BREAKING BREAD: A MEMOIR BY JONATHAN JANSEN, JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS
In this memoir, Jansen goes back to his early years: growing up in a loving, fiercely evangelical family on the Cape Flats, being put on the road to purpose by an inspiring school teacher and becoming the first of his generation to go to university.
Judges said: Deeply honest, lightly written yet profound. The humour, the facts, the pace, the writing - what a great combination.
MORAFE: PERSON, FAMILY AND NATION IN COLONIAL BECHUANALAND 1880S-1950S BY KHUMISHO MOGUERANE, JACANA MEDIA
Moguerane explores two generations of the Molema family - which includes not just those biologically related but also those who the Molemas incorporated into their household as kin, such as Sol Plaatje. Moguerane reveals that the “nation” is less “out there” in public institutions and political struggles, but “in here”, in the everyday drama of ordinary lives.
Judges said: An incredible work unpacking the Molema family and in the process helping to explain both Plaatje and the early ANC’s philosophical grounding and the actions they took.
LOVE AND FURY; A MEMOIR BY MARGIE ORFORD, JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS
Internationally acclaimed author, Orford divulges compelling and intimate accounts that have shaped her life - her marriage and divorce, motherhood, her sister’s love, gender-based violence, feminism and how these experiences have influenced her writing.
Judges said: Absolutely wonderful read by a writer at the peak of her powers. An evisceratingly honest and compelling narrative.
HUNTING THE SEVEN: HOW THE GUGULETHU SEVEN ASSASSINS WERE EXPOSED BY BEVERLY ROOS-MULLER, JONATHAN BALL PUBLISHERS
In 1986, seven young men were shot and killed by police in Gugulethu in Cape Town. The nation was told they were part of a “terrorist” MK cell plotting an attack on a police unit. Ten years later, Eugene de Kock’s Vlakplaas unit was exposed at the TRC for having planned and executed the cold-blooded killings. Yet their real agenda remained a mystery. In this book, Roos-Muller reveals her own decades-long connection to the case and her search for the truth.
Judges said: An important and riveting book which tells the story with simplicity and compassion, exposing facts that we continue to grapple with to this day as a nation.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF DISPOSSESSION: MY FAMILY’S QUEST TO RECLAIM OUR LAND BY LEBOGANG SEALE, JACANA MEDIA
Seale’s personal account of the impact of South Africa’s failing and flailing land reform policy on ordinary people desperate for restorative justice. His book shows not only that land reform in our country is a criminal failure and monumental disappointment, but more than that, it is a betrayal that punishes the affected communities whose quest for justice remains denied.
Judges said: Well written, topical and relevant.There is a sense of urgency with the family and the deep disappointment in the lack of progress on this matter. Seale did a great job of bringing something that has become a sound bite, closer to home.
FICTION PRIZE
Criteria: The winner should be a novel of rare imagination and style, evocative, textured and a tale so compelling as to become an enduring landmark of contemporary fiction.
JUDGES:
Siphiwo Mahala
Dr Alma-Nelisha Cele
Michele Magwood
CHAIR OF JUDGES SIPHIWO MAHALA SAYS:
The entries in this year’s fiction category of the Sunday Times Literary Awards stand as a testament to South Africa’s burgeoning and vast literary talent. This shortlist comprises an exceptional body of work that is thematically diverse, stylistically explorative and richly textured with lucid prose. The themes explored range from friendships, love, loss, memory, politics and corruption, each rendered with the skill and sophistication of accomplished wordsmiths. Their narratives amplify obscure voices of nonentities, the marginalised and the nameless in society, foregrounding stories and characters that might otherwise fade into oblivion. The depth and craftsmanship of the stories demonstrate a fusion of astute social observation and rigorous research, enlivened by creative flair to produce works that are nuanced, captivating and full of intrigue. These works transcend both time and space, occasionally shifting with seamless fluidity within a single text. They revisit history as a lens through which to read the present, interrogate contemporary challenges rooted in the legacies of the past, and gesture towards speculative futures.
What is particularly striking about this year’s selection is the depth of experience that radiates through the authors’ voices. This shortlist brings together seasoned writers who have previously been shortlisted for this prize, won others and garnered a plethora of accolades elsewhere. Their narrative voices are assured and bold, exploring their creative talents without restraint, comfortable in bending genres, transcending temporal boundaries, and subsequently demonstrating a profound imaginative power in their storytelling. They oscillate between the ordinary and the paranormal, the cerebral and the visceral, creating a world where slapstick humour, detective drama, romance and gothic horror coexist. In short, the five novels shortlisted for this year’s award represent the best of contemporary South African fiction in English.
Here is the fiction shortlist in order of the author’s surname:
GOD’S POCKET BY SVEN AXELRAD, UMUZI
On the outskirts of Vivo, there is a cabin at the bottom of an abandoned quarry. With the help of his four best friends, Filo moves in to write his first novel. He’s convinced doing so will change his life and save him from a soul-destroying career as an accountant. The quarry, however, might not be as abandoned as it seems…
Judges said: A richly imagined story, set again in his town of Vivo, but with a different cast of characters. Axelrad manages to balance horror with human warmth and courage.
THE COMRADE’S WIFE BY BARBARA BOSWELL, JACANA MEDIA
Boswell’s novel follows a turbulent marriage between a rising politician and an academic, told through her life and lens.
Judges said: A layered portrait of contemporary South Africa, this novel blends love story, political commentary, and human drama. It grapples with themes of love, career ambition, academia, politics and corruption in a sensitive, insightful and deeply imaginative manner.
CROOKED SEEDS BY KAREN JENNINGS, KARAVAN PRESS
The remains of several bodies have just been unearthed from Deidre van Deventer family’s former home, after decades underground. Detectives pepper her with questions about her brother, and his dealings with a pro-apartheid group in the 1990s. As evidence from the investigation continues to surface, and detectives pressure her to share what she knows of her family’s disturbing past, Deidre must finally confront her own shattered memories.
Judges said: From the opening lines, this is a novel that hints at its accomplished nature. A haunting novel set in a too-close-for-comfort arid and crumbling Cape Town in 2028.
THE LOST LOVE OF AKBAR MANZIL BY SHUBNUM KHAN, PAN MACMILLAN
When Meena fell in love with the owner of the house, it was the grandest residence on the east coast near Durban. Eight years later when Sana and her father move to the house it is crumbling. This is a place where people come to forget. Or to be forgotten. Sana begins to discover the tangled, troubling history of the house that will change the lives of everyone – living and dead – at Akbar Manzil.
Judges said: This intriguing narrative moves fluidly between eras, maintaining a cohesive and seamless flow. It explores identity at the crossroads of culture and experience, illuminating the evolving processes of assimilation and hybrid belonging.
THE CREATION OF HALF-BROKEN PEOPLE BY SIPHIWE GLORIA NDLOVU, PICADOR AFRICA
A nameless woman is plagued by visions. She works for the Good Foundation and its museum is filled with artefacts from the family’s exploits in Africa - the descendants of Captain John Good, of King Solomon’s Mines fame. Our heroine is happy working with the Good family, until one day there’s a group of protestors outside the museum, who are instigated by an ancient woman, who our heroine knows is not real. After this encounter, the nameless woman finds herself living first in an attic and then in a haunted castle, her life anything but normal.
Judges said: A masterclass in writing on the interior lives of women. A wonderful meditation on colonialism, feminism and black women’s place in histories untold.
