The JRB

We leap on the flat dry grass. One hundred lesbians? More. Queer women everywhere. It’s as queer as the eye can see. The JRB presents poetry by Deborah Seddon, from Magnitude: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/poe…

But the wind is not the weather. Water flows, the bird has flown. I am not a paltry griever and my mother’s not a tomb. The JRB presents poetry by Dawn Garisch, from The Consulting Room: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/poe…

Although jail thickens the skin, birthing its chitin fold The beetle will teach you how to turn mud into gold To unfold your hind wings for a smooth take-off. The JRB presents previously unpublished poetry by Sandile Ngidi: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/new…

The JRB presents ‘The Nazi Insurgence Reaches Blairgowrie’, an excerpt from Werner Pretorius’s debut collection of short fiction, Lone Wolf Living. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/rea…

The JRB presents an excerpt from Robert Lowell’s Imitations and the Cold War: Containment, Leakage, Anarchy, the new book by our Academic Editor, Simon van Schalkwyk. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/poe…

From Douala to Yaounde, a philosophical journey—Sanya Osha encounters the contradictions fueling Cameroon’s fertile intellectual culture: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/fro…

She could translate lived experience into art and return it with dignity—Sean Jacobs honours the late Zöe Wicomb: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/she…

Happy #janeausten250 day! To celebrate, why not revisit Helen Moffett's 2020 novel Charlotte, which tells the story of Pride and Prejudice's Charlotte Lucas, who marries the unfortunate Mr Collins after Lizzy Bennet spurns him? Enjoy ⤵️ johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2020/12/10/fic…

Muthi Nhlema and Ivor W Hartmann discuss trust, inspiration, writer’s block, and Nhlema’s latest work ‘Piss Corpse’, which was selected to be the debut story for ZamaShort, a new imprint specialising in publishing short stories by African authors. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/wha…

‘Performing poetry is a naked affair, but I’d rather be naked than take up residence behind a mask.’ Khadija Tracey Heeger in conversation with Makhosazana Xaba: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/per…

Kevin Goddard reviews What is Owed? by Kelwyn Sole—a poet’s summing up of a life dedicated both to verse and to activism in South Africa. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/alw…

Sean Jacobs reviews Slow Poison by Mahmood Mamdani, a rich and textured account of Ugandan and postcolonial African politics, and a layered personal history. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/can…

Barbara Boswell reviews Elleke Boehmer’s Ice Shock, a novel saturated with extremes of love and increasingly calamitous climate events. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/a-r…

The JRB Fiction Issue has arrived! In this edition we celebrate short fiction, from the mysterious to the sublime, by way of the South African gothic (PLUS ALSO reviews, interviews, poetry, essays and all good things). Unwrap your present here: johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/the…

The day is today. The moment is now. Well, the moment is actually a few hours from now. But The JRB, that slow train, is pulling out of the station, a BUMPER issue in tow. Want it first? Subscribe (always free) ⤵️ bit.ly/TheJRBSubscribe

Cometh the hour, cometh the issue. It's almost time for the next edition of The JRB. And what an action-packed edition it is! Want it before everybody else? Subscribe here (always free) ⤵️ bit.ly/TheJRBSubscribe

There's a hint in the air, a rumour on the wind. Is The JRB is sending a fresh edition to the digital presses? Yes! It's time for our annual Fiction Issue, which also features poetry, reviews, interviews, and more. Get it before everyone else. It's free⤵️ bit.ly/TheJRBSubscribe

Photo: @WindhamCampbell Prizes, Yale University.

Zoë Wicomb, the pioneering South African author and academic, has died in her home of Glasgow, Scotland. She was 77 years old. johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/10/14/zoe…

The children have their spleens burst open. The children’s skulls are cracked torn apart bone blown open. The children have no eyes. The children are torn apart small torsos shorn... New poetry by Rustum Kozain johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/08/13/new… via @joburgreview