Something for every reader at Franschhoek’s literary festival
• Eclectic mix of voices across genres
If there’s one thing book lovers like to do — aside from reading — it’s talking about their favourite reads. This year’s Franschhoek Literary Festival brings together diverse voices from the worlds of literature, politics, science and cultural activism.
SA’s biggest book festival takes place on May 17-19 in one of the country’s oldest and most picturesque towns and will include interactive writing workshops and after-hours entertainment, offering festivalgoers different perspectives and points of view. It’s an event at which people get to meet new and celebrated authors and hear about new novels, and are generally surrounded by all things bookish.
The 2024 line-up includes local, pan-African and international authors. An eclectic mix of voices from various genres will provide an opportunity to listen to a wide variety of thought-provoking panel discussions and in-depth author interviews, and participate in interactive writing workshops and poetry readings, as well as Melodies in Words, an evening of “artsong and poetry”.
“We are honoured to include these authors on our programme this year, and to celebrate and amplify voices and stories from the African continent,” festival programme director Jennifer Ball says.
LOCAL VOICES
Local authors and works featured in the 2024 fiction programme include Andrew Brown (The Bitterness of Olives), Angela Makholwa (The Reed Dance Stalker),
Anoeschka von Meck (Twa die Tydloper), Busisekile Khumalo
(Sunshine and Shadows), Craig Higginson (The Ghost of Sam Webster), Shubnum Khan (The Lost Love of Akbar Manzil), Zibu Sithole (The Thing with Zola)
and Karen Jennings, author of Crooked Seeds, whose fable, An Island, about the turbulent history of an unnamed African country, was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.
Nonfiction writers include favourites Margie Orford and her long-anticipated memoir,
Love and Fury, Arthur Goldstuck (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI), Justice Malala (The Plot to Save SA), Aids activist
Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba (Positively Me) and Pieter-Dirk Uys (One Man Shows, in three volumes and free to read online). Acclaimed poet Koleka Putuma will talk about her brand-new collection, We Have Everything We Need to Start Again, and Sally Andrew will be launching her long-awaited Tannie Maria cookbook, Recipes to Die Live For.
Top of my list are Ivan Vladislavić and Darrel BristowBovey. Vladislavić’s playfully funny and ironic The Near North
is a masterwork of profound insight into his beloved Johannesburg, and one of my favourite reads so far in 2024. Accompanied by author and poet Ingrid de Kock, he will talk about his travels on foot through the defiant city during the various stages of lockdown. Bristow-Bovey, author of 2023’s magnificent tale of derring-do Finding Endurance,
and fellow Ernest Shackleton devotee and storyteller Rob Caskie will discuss epic missions and what they reveal about how we should live, think and lead, with talk radio host Pippa Hudson.
Bristow-Bovey will also be talking about travel, becoming and the meaning of home.
There’s an appealing selection of established and newer pan-African voices on the programme. Adekeye Adebajo is a distinguished scholar and author who is deeply engaged with African affairs and global diplomacy. His books include The Curse of Berlin: Africa after the Cold War and Thabo Mbeki: Africa’s Philosopher-King. He is also a columnist for Business Day and BusinessLIVE and various international newspapers.
From Namibia, Femi Kayode has brought a unique perspective to the crime thriller genre. His novel, Gaslight, has attracted attention for its narrative and psychological depth. It focuses on manipulative relationships and the broader implications of these dynamics in his characters’ lives. Kayode’s background in clinical psychology enriches his novels with real-world psychological insights, making his work particularly compelling.
With a diverse upbringing in Ethiopia, Italy and Lesotho, Morabo Morojele’s narrative style is infused with a rich blend of cultural influences, which he skilfully weaves into his storytelling. His second novel, Three Egg Dilemma, explores complex themes of identity, belonging, and transformation. Morojele’s work is characterised by the profound philosophical questions it raises.
Kenyan author Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu has established herself as a new voice in African literature, earning her a shortlisting for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her debut novel, Lucky Girl, delves into themes of resilience and personal growth, set against the backdrop of contemporary social challenges in Kenya.
Candice Carty-Williams, from South London, has written for The Guardian, i-D Magazine, Vogue, The Sunday Times (London), and more. With her best-selling novel Queenie (2019), Carty-Williams became the first black writer to win the book of the year award at the British Book Awards.
Ghanaian writer Kobby Ben Ben shares his critical insights into literature on his Instagram platform, @bookworm_man, which has become a key space for book lovers. His debut novel,
No One Dies Yet, set in 2019 Accra, explores the city through a series of interconnected murder mysteries during the Year of Return festival. It has been described “genrebreaking” and “iconoclastic”.
DIASPORA
In conversation with activist and writer Ashanti Kunene, Muchemi-Ndiritu, CartyWilliams and Ben Ben will reflect on their diaspora novels and the crisis of distance, be it
from a motherland, a culture or a family.
An influential figure in the East African literary scene, Troy Onyango plays a key role in promoting African literature. As founder and editor-in-chief of online magazine Lolwe, he has created a platform for African writers to share their works with a global audience. His debut short-story collection, For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings, explores themes of memory, loss, and longing, drawing heavily on his upbringing in Kisumu, Kenya.
The festival is also hosting several acclaimed international authors who will add a global flavour to the event.
Dubliner Cecelia Ahern, known globally for her bestseller PS, I Love You, has had her works translated into 35 languages and sold in more than 50 countries. Her latest novel, In a Thousand Different Ways, was released in 2023.
Bolu Babalola, a BritishNigerian writer of books, scripts, cultural pieces and retorts, published her debut novel, Honey & Spice, in 2022. A pick of Reese Witherspoon’s book club, it was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and won the TikTok Book Awards book of the year.
Appearing virtually, Patrick Radden Keefe is an awardwinning staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for NonFiction. His new book, Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers,
Rebels and Crooks, is a collection of 12 of his best stories to have appeared in The New Yorker.
Andrey Kurkov, also appearing virtually, is Ukraine’s most celebrated writer, and a respected public intellectual. His work of reportage, Ukraine Diaries: Dispatches from Kiev,
was published in 2014. Diary of an Invasion, written in 2022, came out in 2023.
Tim Marshall, an authority on foreign affairs with more than 30 years’ reporting experience, is the author of two number one Sunday Times best-sellers: Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics and
The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World: The Illustrated Edition. His latest book is The Future of Geography: How the Competition in Space Will Change Our World.
Queen of crime Lynda la Plante is the author of more than 40 novels, all of which have been best-sellers. She’s also the writer of the Prime Suspect television crime series.
Alibi: A Trial & Retribution Thriller is her latest book.
LOST HISTORY
Since the publication of his ground-breaking first novel, The Boy in the Dress (2008), children’s author David Walliams has had global sales exceeding 56-million copies. His books have been translated into an astounding 55 languages across 40 titles.
He will offer insights into thinking like a kid, why he’s obsessed with 007, and his funniest memories of writing for children.
Born in London, Pip Williams grew up in Sydney and now lives in South Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Her debut novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words,
was a New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick. Set during World War 1, The Bookbinder of Jericho
is her second novel. Along with Ben Ben and Shubnam Khan, she will discuss reclamations of lost history with John Maytham.
“The festival programme has been designed to cater to a diverse audience,” Ball says. “The wide range of literary themes will let festivalgoers delve into the minds of their favourite authors, participate in engaging conversations, and gain insights into the creative process behind some of today’s most compelling works.”
QUEEN OF CRIME LYNDA LA PLANTE IS THE AUTHOR OF MORE THAN 40 NOVELS, ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN BEST-SELLERS