Archive for the ‘News’ Category
by Amanda on Dec 1st, 2010
Britain’s great historian Eric Hobsbawn has named Charles van Onselen’s latest work, Masked Raiders: Irish Banditry in Southern Africa, 1880–1899, one of his 2010 reads of the year. High praise indeed from the revered author – a real feather in van Onselen’s cap!
Two excellent books this year remind me of some of my own past researches: John A Davis’s The Jews of San Nicandro is about the Italian peasants who converted to Judaism; and Charles Van Onselen’s Masked Raiders: Irish Banditry in Southern Africa.
About the book
For two decades before a railway system linked southern Africa’s principal cities in the mid-1890s, the world’s richest supplies of diamonds and gold were transported by coach and horses to distant ports for export. For Irish soldiers based at Fort Napier, Pietermaritzburg, the temptation of this fabulous wealth proved irresistible: they deserted by the score and, as members of the criminal ‘Irish Brigade’, embarked on a spree of bank, safe and highway robberies.
Masked Raiders follows the wild exploits of legendary brigands like the McKeone brothers and ‘One-Armed Jack’ McLaughlin, who ravaged the subcontinent, from the mining towns of Barberton, Kimberley and Johannesburg to the borders of Basotholand, Bechuanaland, Mozambique and Rhodesia. With tales of heists, safe-cracking, illegal gold dealings, prison breaks and hidden roadside treasure, the book reveals the potency of the highveld’s ‘criminal heroes’, a force – until now – largely hidden from history. Startling new insights reveal how the hidden grammar of brigandage informed political actions of the day, such as the Jameson Raid, and how the movement of bandits across the interior helped shape the borders of what was to become modern South Africa. With inimitable storytelling flair, Charles van Onselen illuminates the intrigue and influence of a secretive, oath-bound brotherhood.
Book details
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by Amanda on Nov 23rd, 2010
Zebra Press and The Bay Bookshop invite you to the launch of Chasing the Devil: The Search for Africa’s Fighting Spirit by Tim Butcher.
For many years Sierra Leone and Liberia have been to dangerous to travel through, bedeviled by a uniquely brutal form of violence from which sprang many of Africa’s cruellest contemporary icons – child soldiers, prisoner mutilation, blood diamonds. With their wars officially over, Tim Butcher sets out on a journey across both countries, trekking for 350 miles through remote rainforest and malarial swamps. Just as he followed H.M. Stanley through the Congo – a journey described as his bestseller Blood River – this time he pursues a trail blazed by Graham Greene in 1935 and immortalised in the travel classic Journey Without Maps in which he and his cousin Barbara were carried. Tim walks every blistering inch to gain an extraordinary ground-level view of a troubled and overlooked region.
As a journalist in Africa, Tim came to know both countries well although the wars made the trips to the jungle hinterland far too risky. This is where he now heads, exploring how rebel groups thrived in the bush for so long and whether the devil of war has truly been chased away.
Hear more of Butcher’s story: see you at the Bay Bookshop!
Event Details
- Date: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
- Time: 5:30 PM for 6:00 PM
- Venue: The Bay Bookshop
27 Somerset Road
cnr. Dixon Street
126 The Square, Level One
Cape Quarter
Green Point
Cape Town
- RSVP: capequarter@baybookshop.co.za, 021 421 1301
Book Details
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by Amanda on Nov 12th, 2010
Herschelle Gibbs meen sy outobiografie, To the Point, is nie so erg soos wat die koerante berig nie.
Gibbs onthul in dié boek onder meer die seksuele aktiwiteite van Suid-Afrikaanse krieketspelers gedurende ‘n toer in 1998.
Hy het in ‘n onderhoud aan SARIE gesê hy het verwag dat van sy mede-krieketspelers ontsteld sou wees oor die boek, en dat hy selfs vriende sou verloor. Maar hy sê ook: “Hulle het nog nie die boek nie en tot tyd en wyl hulle die boek onder oë kry, sal hulle agterkom dis nie so erg soos wat dit gemaak word nie.”
Die omstrede krieketspeler besef hy het ‘n hele paar spanmaats teleurgestel en seergemaak met sy openhartige lewensverhaal. Hy gesels met SARIE se Phyllis Green.
Hier waar ons in Melville, Johannesburg, by ‘n straatkafee sit en gesels oor sy omstrede outobiografie, To The Point, The No-Holds-Barred Autobiography, Herschelle Gibbs met Steve Smith (Zebra Press, R200) lyk hy verbasend ontspanne. Hy besef hy gaan heel moontlik ‘n klompie vriende verloor, maar dis dan maar so. Hy glo hy het sy verhaal vertel, oop en eerlik en spontaan, soos hy is en dat dit die enigste manier was hoe hy dit kon doen.
Book details
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by Amanda on Nov 8th, 2010
Zebra Press en The Book Lounge nooi jou uit na die bekendstelling van Oor krygers, korrelkoppe en konkelaars deur Max du Preez.
Daar is kleurryke stories oor Khoi-hoofmanne wat in die sewentiende eeu oorsee gegaan het; die Boesmans se verdrag met leeus; die wyse Mohlomi; die krygshaftige vrou Mantatisi; Coenraad de Buys, die skurkagtige pionier; die swart Jode van Venda; Christiaan de Wet en sy broer Piet, wat aan verskillende kante in die Anglo-Boereoorlog geveg het; die dapperheid van generaal De la Rey se vrou, Nonnie; en die planne om Mandela uit Robbeneiland se tronk te laat ontsnap. Daar is boonop heeltemal nuwe verhale oor skipbreukelinge van die sestiende en sewentiende eeu, van wie baie met Zoeloe- of Xhosavroue getrou het; oor Guillaume Chenu de Chalezac, die Franse seun wat in 1680 deur ‘n Xhosa-hoofman aangeneem is en later ‘n Pruisiese generaal geword het; oor die merkwaardige Engelse vrou Sarah Heckford wat ‘n handelaar in die Boererepublieke en raadgewer vir koningin Modjadji geword het; en oor die Duitse oorlogsweeskinders wat tydens die Tweede Wereldoorlog na SA gekom het.
Ons sien daarna uit om julle daar!
Besonderhede
Boekbesonderhede
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by Amanda on Oct 29th, 2010
MD of Exclusive Books, Fred Withers introduces Ronnie Apteker and Gus Silber :
Why does an entrepreneur, like a comedian, need to close a deal every 15 seconds? It is said that inside every successful entrepreneur there is a stand-up comic struggling to get out. Well, meet one who managed to escape. His name is Ronnie Apteker, and no, he’s not an apteker. He’s the high-energy, high-tech founder of South Africa’s first internet service provider, Internet Solutions, and a number of other innovative online ventures. But his real business is getting a laugh out of people, whether it’s in a boardroom, on a stage or on a movie set. As a storyteller, moviemaker and creative spirit, Ronnie takes business seriously enough to know that you don’t need to take yourself too seriously to succeed.
Funny Business was launched to much laughter earlier this week at Exclusive Books Hyde Park.
Ronnie Apteker and Gus Silber at the podium talking Funny Business :
Book details
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by Amanda on Jul 13th, 2010
Joburg’s favourite breakfast show, The Rude Awakening, said a sad goodbye to presenter Jeremy Mansfield yesterday morning. After 13 years Mansfield has decided to take a break and is looking forward to “a life that is not structured” complete with breakfast in bed.
As Joburg bids goodbye to Highveld Stereo presenter Jeremy Mansfield, so will several other popular characters will also be lost to radio.
Today, the Monday morning following the end of the World Cup, was Mansfield’s last stint on the popular Rude Awakening show after 13 years at the helm.
He is leaving to embark on “a life that is not structured” and to pursue new interests.
Book details
Image courtesy Times Live
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by Amanda on Jun 24th, 2010
Jeremy Mansfield, well known for his vocal acrobatics on Highveld 94.7 is the voice behind Lifer, a Chatter telephone, in the newly released Toy Story 3.
Radio personality Jeremy Mansfield announced on his show on 94.7 Highveld that he is set to voice a character in Toy Story 3.
“It’s official and has just been finalised. This is really exciting news! I am a big fan of Disney. Pixar and this is indeed an honour,” said a thrilled Mansfield this morning.
Mansfield’s voice will be used for the character of Lifer, a Chatter telephone who has spent his life in the toy box at a children’s nursery school.
Fifteen years have passed since the release of the original animated film that showed what toys get up to when their owners aren’t looking and what animation fantasias can be conjured up by computers.
It’s been more than a decade since Toy Story 2, which was initially intended for video release only and ultimately was a bigger hit than the first film.
It looks as if Toy Story 3 will be worth the wait – experts believe it could be the biggest hit of 2010.
Watch the trailer:
Book details
Image courtesy Eyewitness News
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by Amanda on May 7th, 2010
The police have played a central role in South Africa’s troubled past, are caught up in its crime-ridden present, and remain key to a more peaceful future. Despite this, most citizens know very little about the lives and experiences of the average cop in the 185 000-strong South African Police Service.
Behind the Badge: The untold stories of South Africa’s police service members book is composed of excerpts from interviews with twenty-eight current and former members of the service who, for the first time, share their personal experiences of life behind the badge. There is mantra among the police: “What happens on the shift stays on the shift.” In Behind the Badge, members talk openly about the experiences hidden behind this wall of silence. The book covers a wide range of themes, including reasons for signing up; training; transformation from SAP to SAPS; the case; lethal force; torture; corruption; ethics; experiencing loss; work and home life; the emotional toll; humour; sex and power.
About the author
Andrew Faull is a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies and a reservist in the South African Police Service. He is the author of a book, Policing Diversity: An analysis of a diversity intervention in a South African Police Service station, as well as numerous papers and articles on police and policing.
Book details
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by Amanda on Mar 11th, 2010
It’s official! The much-anticipated compilation Home Away will be published by Zebra Press next month. Watch out for a special series related to the book on the Zebra Press blog starting next week – it will be “24″ with a twist!
Being South African isn’t as black and white as it used to be. People from all over the world make South Africa their home, while South Africans have more geographic freedom than ever before. This unique and captivating collection is a snapshot of South African writing today: emigrant and immigrant South Africans, living at home and away.
In Home Away, twenty-four chapters by twenty-four writers, set in cities all around the world, make up one global day, a mosaic reflecting on the nature of home. As the provocative stories in this collaboration suggest, often it’s when we are far away from home that we see it most clearly.
About the authors
The collaborators on Home Away are: Lauren Beukes, Ted Botha, Sarah Britten, Victoria Burrows, Richard de Nooy, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Louis Greenberg, Colleen Higgs, Liesl Jobson, Rustum Kozain, Sarah Lotz, Jassy Mackenzie, Moky Makura, Helen Moffett, Naomi Nkealah, SA Partridge, Jo-Anne Richards, Henrietta Rose-Innes, Fiona Snyckers, Karina Magdalena Szczurek, Ivan Vladislavić, Zukiswa Wanner, Kathryn White and Makhosazana Xaba.
Louis Greenberg is a freelance writer, editor and web designer. His first novel is the well-received The Beggars’ Signwriters, and he has published several stories, photographs and poems. He has lived in Johannesburg all his life, and much of his travel is vicarious.
Book details
Shown above: all 24 contributors
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by Stephen Johnson on Mar 4th, 2010
Random House Struik is pleased to invite you to browse the “beta” version of our brand-new website at www.randomstruik.co.za.
The new homepage has been some time in the making, but we hope you’ll agree that it’s been worth the wait. Features include a bright and beautiful books catalogue, a competitions section, comprehensive notices of RHS’s upcoming events, robust social media components and much more.
As you browse the site, please bear in mind that we’re still fleshing it out with book and author information, and that some features remain in test phase. We’re very excited about sharing it with you and hope you like what you see!
One item that you won’t find on the new homepage is the Oshun Books imprint. After taking a long, hard look at the overall Random House Struik publishing strategy, we took the extremely difficult decision to discontinue the imprint, and merge Oshun books into our leading publishing brand, Zebra Press. (On BOOK SA, the Oshun blog will soon be merged into the Zebra blog.) Current Oshun titles will continue to be sold as such, but future publications that would have appeared in the Oshun stable will now be released via Zebra Press. Random House Struik would like to extend its gratitude to all who worked on the Oshun imprint.
The debut of www.randomstruik.co.za represents a new chapter in the story of an African publishing powerhouse. We look forward to bringing you the best, most engaging, most informative reads via our five imprints, Struik Lifestyle, Struik Nature, Struik Travel and Heritage, Zebra Press and Umuzi, in 2010 and beyond!
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