Books LIVE

Matthew Jakubowski Reviews The Loss Library by Ivan Vladislavic

Verdict: carrot

The premise of the South African writer Ivan Vladislavic’s genre-blending collection The Loss Library sounds fairly simple at first – to write a personal book about the stories he could not write, with thoughts on what prevented him.

In theory, this book would be perhaps 50 per cent creative non-fiction, an autobiographical look back through old notebooks that form, among other things, a chronicle of the writer’s past ambitions. Fiction could be included by giving readers snippets of the unfinished stories, which Vladislavic does, and if the book sheds new light on the modern writer’s craft and avoids looking like a bunch of old fragments published for fun or profit, it might yield good results.

• Complete review: The National

• The Loss Library homepage

Book Details

• The Loss Library by Ivan Vladislavic
  EAN: 9781415201626
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Henning Pieterse resenseer Vaarwel, my effens bevlekte held deur Johann de Lange

Uitspraak: wortel

Die titel en die kragtige bandontwerp (’n kunswerk deur Christiaan Diedericks, Death of the Inside Warrior) roep die aflegging van aspekte van die self op.

In “Skielik skemer” word die titel van toepassing gemaak op die digter John Berryman, wat in 1972 selfmoord gepleeg het, maar dit word deurgetrek met betrekking tot die liriese spreker in verskeie verse en van toepassing gemaak op die korpus van De Lange se vorige bundels.

• Volledige resensie: Boeke24

• Vaarwel, my effens bevlekte held tuisblad

Boekbesonderhede

• Vaarwel, my effens bevlekte held deur Johann de Lange
  EAN: 9780798156301
  Spoor hierdie boek met BOOK Finder op!

David Benatar Turns Sexism on its Head in The Second Sexism

In his brand new book, The Second Sexism, David Benatar, head of philosophy at the University of Cape Town, puts forward the controversial idea that men are the new victims of sexism, in an age were discrimination against women is far from obsolete.

Elizabeth Day examines Benatar’s claims, and other tales of persecuted men, in an article for The Guardian:

You might not have realised it, but men are being oppressed. In many walks of life, they are routinely discriminated against in ways women are not. So unrecognised is this phenomenon that the mere mention of it will appear laughable to some.

That, at least, is the premise of a book by a South African philosophy professor which claims that sexism against men is a widespread yet unspoken malaise. In The Second Sexism, shortly to be published in the UK, David Benatar, head of the philosophy department at Cape Town University, argues that “more boys drop out of school, fewer men earn degrees, more men die younger, more are incarcerated” and that the issue is so under-researched it has become the prejudice that dare not speak its name.

• Complete article: The Guardian

Benatar will deliver a talk on The Second Sexism on 21 May as part of HUMA’s 2012 seminar series. The talk, entitled “Discrimination against men and boys”, will be in held in the Oppenheimer Institute Building on UCT’s Upper Campus from 1 to 2 PM. Don’t miss it!

Event details

• Date: Monday, 21 May 2012
• Time: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
• Venue: Seminar Room
  Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA)
  Oppenheimer Institute Building
  Upper Campus
  University of Cape Town | Campus Map
• RSVP: Heather Maytham; 021 650 4592

Book details

• The Second Sexism: Discrimination Against Men and Boys by David Benatar
  EAN: 9780470674512
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Link Love: Thomas Kruchem Explores the Orange River in Orange-Senqu: Artery of Life

In February this year, German-based publishing company Brandes & Apsel released Orange-Senqu: Artery of Life: Water and Peace in Southern Africa by award-winning journalist Thomas Kruchem.

Orange-Senqu: Artery of Life attempts to provide a simultaneously historical, contemporary and personal account of the Orange-Senqu River basin, a large water catchment area which serves communities in four southern African countries.

Covering a wide range of issues regarding development and access to water, the book offers a chance for the outsider to see the area with new eyes. Kruchem achieves this by combining personal anecdote with historical detail and, while some of the details may seem unnecessary, he displays a passion for his subject which carries with it a respect for the region and its people. The book is accompanied by a multi-media “Orange-Senqu River Awareness Kit” DVD.

San of the Kalahari; mountain farmers in Lesotho; township activists near Johannesburg; diamond miners at the mouth; scientists and eco-philosophers – these are just a sampling of the scores of people interviewed by Thomas Kruchem to tell the rich and multi-faceted story of this great African river.

It is a story steeped in cultural history, economic opportunity and overwhelming environmental challenge. And the whole thing is told against the backdrop of a global problem – the escalating shortage of potable water.

Water shortage is one of humanity’s greatest challenges. It comes into sharp focus through the real-world issues faced along the river named Orange in South Africa and Senqu in Lesotho. In addressing these issues this compelling and beautifully illustrated book is part travelogue, part in-depth analysis and part a compendium of touching stories. The attached “Orange-Senqu River Awareness Kit” on DVD provides comprehensive multimedia material on water issues in Southern Africa.

• Orange-Senqu: Artery of Life homepage

• More Link Love

Book details

• Orange-Senqu Artery of Life: Water and Peace in Southern Africa by Thomas Kruchem
  EAN: 9783860998847
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Katherine Sauchelli Reviews Mighty Be Our Powers and This Child Will Be Great

Verdict: a carrot for Mighty Be Our Powers and a stick for This Child Will Be Great

The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women, Towakkol Karman of Yemen, Leymah Gbowee and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, both from Liberia, “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.” In 2011, Gbowee published Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer and Sex Changed a Nation at War. Johnson, now current President of Liberia, published her memoir, This Child Will Be Great in 2008. Both women are formidable Liberians who worked to end thirteen years of civil war and to bring more power and education to the women of Liberia. I read both memoirs and found each compelling for different reasons. However, I am left with different (contrary, in fact) opinions of each book. Gbowee’s story is heart-wrenching and full of personal detail, leaving one with the impression of having stood by her side throughout her journey. Johnson’s narrative feels more like a laundry list of her good deeds and justification for some of her more questionable ones.

• Complete review: Warscapes

Book Details

• Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee
  EAN: 9780984295159
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• This Child Will Be Great by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
  EAN: 9780061353482
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Alta Cloete resenseer Die kamer langsaan deur Annemari Coetser

Uitspraak: wortel

Die kamer langsaan is ‘n besondere roman wat ligvoets tussen erns en luim, tussen die tragiese en die romantiese beweeg. Dit sorg vir afwisseling en balans in die leser se ervaring. In die hoofkarakter is dieselfde tweeledigheid te bespeur. Sy wissel tussen speelse sensualiteit en diep hartseer, met ‘n gesonde skoot woede en opstand tussenin. Sy is ‘n karakter waarmee ‘n mens kan identifiseer, iemand wat jy graag sou wou ken.

Die verhaal binne ‘n verhaal herinner ‘n mens aan Eleanor Baker se Verbeelde werklikheid, een van my groot gunstelinge. Die hoofkarakter beleef haar eie verhaal terwyl sy dié van ‘n ander karakter opteken. En uiteindelik word verbeelding en werklikheid so inmekaar gevleg dat die leser nie meer heeltemal seker is waar die een ophou of die ander begin nie.

• Volledige resensie: Alta Cloete se blog

Boekbesonderhede

• Die kamer langsaan deur Annemari Coetser
  EAN: 9780799355147
  Spoor hierdie boek met BOOK Finder op!

The Self-raising Cookie: A Review of Marian Keyes’ Saved by Cake (Plus: Recipe)

By Jackie May for Times LIVE:

Marian Keyes explains in the introduction to her recipe book, Saved by Cake, how she finds baking calming and rewarding because “it is sort of magic – you start off with all this disparate stuff, like butter and eggs, and what you end up with is so totally different. And also so delicious”.

Two years ago the 48-year-old chick-lit novelist revealed on her blog that she had been battling with a debilitating depression.

“My dear amigos, happy new year to you all and I hope your festive season was not too unpleasant. I’m very sorry but this is going to be a very short piece because I am laid low with crippling depression,” she wrote.

It started in 2009, she says in Saved by Cake.

“I couldn’t sleep; I couldn’t breathe; I couldn’t eat; I couldn’t read – by the time I came to the end of a sentence, I’d forgotten the start . I thought a lot about dying.”

There were attempts at available cures. There was the medication, a visit to a psychiatric hospital, (”literally an asylum”), cognitive behavioural therapy, acupuncture, anything she thought might help her. Nothing did.

Until one day she baked a cake. Keyes enjoyed baking the cake so much that she baked another one. And then another.

“I couldn’t stop baking.”

Keyes is very careful not to prescribe baking as a cure to everyone who suffers from depression.

“But it gets me through. My challenge – everyone’s challenge – is about living through the today and I find that baking passes the time. To be perfectly blunt about it, my choice sometimes is: I can kill myself or I can make a dozen cupcakes.”

A result of her therapy is a delightful recipe book with chapters on cupcakes, cheesecakes, meringues and macaroons, chocolate cakes, fruit cakes and favourite classics. There are recipes for every occasion. Her favourite?

Biscuits.

“Making biscuits has given me the most pleasure because I get to use my [many, many] cookie cutters. I get to make my shoes. Edible shoes. And handbags. And owls. And stars. And hearts.”

The recipes are for beginner and experienced bakers and for everybody who loves to see the magical transformation from a little bit of this and a little bit of that into a delicious edible goodie.

Marian Keyes’ Rocky Road Cake

INGREDIENTS

500g rich tea biscuits
300g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
300g milk chocolate
200g butter
300g golden syrup
100g dried dates, chopped small
100g dried apricots, chopped small
120g hazelnuts, skins off, roasted and chopped roughly
100g mini marshmallows

METHOD

This is a no-bake cake. Easy to make and everyone loves it.

I used ready-roasted hazelnuts with their skins off, but if you prefer to roast your own, place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking tray and roast in a 180C (gas 4) oven for five to eight minutes or under the grill for two minutes until browned, checking regularly that they aren’t burning.

To make the cake, begin by lining a 20cm square tin with clingfilm – leaving bits overhanging the sides so you can lift the cake out easily. Break the biscuits into small pieces, smaller than bite-size, but not reduced to crumbs. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a large, heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the broken biscuits, then add the dried fruit, nuts and marshmallows.

Stir well, then pour into the prepared tin and refrigerate for six hours.

Lift out of the tin and peel off the clingfilm. Cut into 16 chunks.

Watch people devour.

Books brought to you in association with Exclusives.co.za

Kwanele Sosibo Reviews Head on Fire by Lesego Rampolokeng

Verdict: stick

If writer Lesego Rampolokeng was given to overt off-stage narcissism, he would probably compare himself to a Johnny Dyani bassline. In a country in which populist guitarist Jimmy Dludlu just took a South African Music Award for best jazz album, Rampolokeng’s increasing obscurity is nothing if not symbolic.

In 2007 the journal Chimurenga put out its 11th issue, Conversations with Poets Who Refuse to Speak. Had that volume been released this year, Rampolokeng would have featured in its pages, reiterating his “difficulty” with being thought of as a “performance poet” while throwing in some caustic humour about bards who sell petrol and body lotion.

• Complete review: Mail & Guardian

Book Details

• Head on Fire: Rants / Notes / Poems 2001-2011 by Lesego Rampolokeng
  EAN: 9780987028204
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Ryan Bubear and Peter Taylor Review SuperVan & I

Verdict: Ryan Bubear gives it a carrot and Peter Taylor walks the fence

When the 13-chapter SuperVan & I landed on my desk with a reassuringly solid thud, I casually opened it to a random page and began scanning. The words “utter crap”, “ball of shit”, “pielkop”, “moer”, and “p*es” (this last one appeared twice, without the asterisk, for good measure) stood out. All on one page.

Lacking in colour, SuperVan & I most certainly is not.

• Complete review: iafrica.com motoring

In his acknowledgements in Supervan and I, a book that is modestly subtitled “The memoir of South Africa’s greatest driver and his alter ego”, Sarel van der Merwe says: “I suppose I should apologise to all the people who might be insulted, threatened, hurt, defamed or just generally pissed off by this book. Not that I give a s** t, but it just seems like the right thing to do.”

This is Van der Merwe to a T.

• Complete review: Business Day

• SuperVan & I homepage

Book Details

• SuperVan & I by Sarel van der Merwe, Steve Smith
  EAN: 9781770221703
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Sonja Loots, Theo Kemp en ander met 2012 WOORDtroFEES bekroon (Plus: Video)

Sonja Loots en Theo Kemp het vanjaar ATKV WOORDtroFEES ontvang vir die informatiewe, verhelderende, diepsinnige en substansiële gesprekke wat hulle tydens die US Woordfees oor hul romans gevoer het.

Loots het met die titel van uitstaande, gevestigde woordkunstenaar weggestap vir haar gesprek oor Sirkusboere, terwyl Kemp as debuutskrywer vir sy bespreking van Skool bekroon is.

Amanda Strydom het die trofee vir kontemporêre musiek vir die produksie Binnekamer gekry. Wessel Pretorius is vir sy eenmanstuk, Ont, in die kategorie vir beste dramaproduksie bekroon. Cape Consort is as die beste klassiekemusiekkunstenaars aangewys en Willem Stydrom is as visuele kunstenaar vereer.

Ivor Fortuin van New Orleans Sekondêr en America van der Merwe van die Hoër Tegniese Skool Proteus is vir hul bydrae tot onderwys met die Woorde Open Wêrelde-toekennings bekroon.

Kyk die KykNET-program Bravo se video van die glansgeleentheid waar die wenners bekendgemaak is en lees die persverklaring:

• Kyk die video op KykNET

Persverklaring:

Die ATKV WOORDtroFEES, wat jaarliks toegeken word vir uitnemende aanbiedings op die US Woordfees, is op 3 Mei 2012 tydens ’n spoggerige geleentheid op Bon Esperance buite Stellenbosch toegeken. Dit is die derde keer wat dié spogtoekennings gemaak word.

Twee romansiers het weggestap met die louere as Woordfees 2012 se uitstaande Woordkunstenaars. Sonja Loots, skrywer van Sirkusboere, en Theo Kemp, wat in 2011 gedebuteer het met Skool, is onderskeidelik as gevestigde en debuutskrywer bekroon vir hul feesgesprekke oor hul romans. Verlede jaar het Elsa Joubert en Deborah Steinmair met dié gesogte toekennings weggestap.

• Lees verder: LitNet

Boekbesonderhede

• Sirkusboere deur Sonja Loots
  Boek se tuisblad
  EAN: 9780624053354
  Spoor hierdie boek met BOOK Finder op!

Scribd.com book preview:

Sirkusboere

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• Skool deur Theo Kemp
  Boek se tuisblad
  EAN: 9780624053057
  Spoor hierdie boek met BOOK Finder op!