Sunday Times Books LIVE

Alert! The Midlands Literary Festival will be held this year from 23 to 25 August in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal. The highlight of the festival will be a literary tour of Pietermartizburg, led by festival organiser Darryl David, which will touch on the writing careers of Alan Paton, Bessie Head, Ronnie Kasrils, Kobus Moolman, Antjie Krog, Dana Snyman and Tom Sharpe.

Many interesting book discussions will also be packed into the weekend and festival goers can look forward to meeting Ronnie Kasrils, Judge Chris Nicholson, chef Jackie Cameron, the legendary Dr Ian Player, poet Shabbir Banoobhai and Books LIVE member and novelist Barbara Erasmus, to name but a few.

Press release

As we approach Spring, it signals that KZN’s premier book festival, the Midlands Literary Festival is just around the corner. And it promises to be a bumper weekend for Howick and the greater Midlands because over the weekend of the 23-25 August, Howick will host the literary festival at Yellowwood, the Mandela Marathon on the Sunday 25 August as well as the Highland Games on 24 August at Michaelhouse.

As usual we have a bumper line up for book lovers, says festival organiser Darryl Earl David. Leading the charge is Ronnie Kasrils, 2011 Paton Prize Winner who will be heading to Howick to launch the 4th edition of his autobiography Armed & Dangerous.

Two times Paton Prize finalist Judge Chris Nicholson, who wowed crowds with his talk on Indian golfer Papwa last year will be speaking on his debut novel One Hand Washes the Other. Duncan Brown, a familiar name in Pietermaritzburg, is sure to enthrall the crowds with his hot off the press book Are Trout South African?. Grant Leversha will be here with his great golfing book that is palming international award after award, Within an African Eden.

There is also plenty of local flavour. Celebrity chef Jackie Cameron will have us salivating with her new book Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home. Paul Ross will talk on his magnificent book on the Drakensberg, with photographs by Roger de la Harpe; there will be a talk on Ardmore Ceramics biography We are because of others, retired Professor of English Elwyn Jenkins will be talking on famous artists Gerard Sekoto’s only children’s book Shorty and Billy Boy; Jane Harley will speak about the long and winding road to self-publishing; Darryl David continues his love affair with God’s architecture in his book A Platteland Pilgrimage; And a South African legend, Dr Ian Player, will talk about his just released biography Into the River of Life.

Chris Ballantine, professor of music at UKZN will talk about the triumphs of jazz during the apartheid era in his Marabi Nights; Cape Town poet Shabbir Banoobhai will show us through words why he is one of the more respected wordsmiths; Jeff Guy will talk on Theophilus Shepstone; Carol Campbell pulls at the heartstrings with her unputdownable novel My Children Have Faces; Ashwin Desai, one of the sharpest minds and most riveting speakers will speak on his new book on Gandhi, if we can get him to stick to the script; Barbara Erasmus will speak on the devastation of Alzheimers chronicled in her novel Below Luck Level and Scott Couper, biographer of Albert Luthuli, says he will be talking about the F-word. I was too afraid to ask what that may entail, says Darryl David.

But it is the opening day, Friday 23rd that has got me all excited, gushes Darryl. That is when, in association with the Centre for African Literary Studies and the Alan Paton Centre at UKZN, I conduct a literary tour of Pietermaritzburg. The literary tour will include the following writers:

1) Alan Paton
2) Bessie Head
3) Ronnie Kasrils
4) Kobus Moolman
5) Antjie Krog
6) Dana Snyman
7) Tom Sharpe

Please reserve your place on this tour by e-mailing Darryl David on davidd@ukzn.ac.za or calling 081 391 8689. Special Festival Accommodation Package available from Biggie Best Cottages and Stocklands Guesthouse. The organisers would also like to extend an invitation to join them for a gala dinner on Saturday evening at IL Postino Restaurant.

Ends

Book details

• Armed and Dangerous: From Undercover Struggle to Freedom by Ronnie Kasrils
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  EAN: 9781431407958
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• One Hand Washes the Other by Nicholson Christopher
  EAN: 9781909421134
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• Are Trout South African?: Stories of Fish, People and Places by Duncan Brown
  EAN: 9781770103023
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• Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home by Jackie Cameron
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  EAN: 9780143530671
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• Ardmore: We Are Because of Others by Fée Halsted
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  EAN: 9781431701117
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• Shorty and Billy Boy: A Tale of Two Naughty Dogs by Gerard Sekoto
  EAN: 9781431406067
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• A Platteland Pilgrimage: 120 Country Churches of South Africa by Darryl Earl David, Philippe Menache
  EAN: 9780620541701
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• Into the River of Life: A Biography of Ian Player by Graham Linscott
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  EAN: 9781868425464
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• Marabi Nights: Jazz, ‘Race’ and Society by Christopher Ballantine
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  EAN: 9781869142377
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• Inward Moon, Outward Sun by Shabbir Banoobhai
  EAN: 9781869140045
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• My Children Have Faces by Carol Campbell
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  EAN: 9781415201831
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• Below Luck Level by Barbara Erasmus
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  EAN: 9780143530138
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• Albert Luthuli: Bound by Faith by Scott Couper
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  EAN: 9781869141929
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