Jenn Writes

South Africa can claim to have some of the best writers around.

From books on motherhood to shattering exposes of the country’s colonial and racist past, from stories on the history of the Kruger National Park to the social movement creating a “pink line” around the planet, there is much to celebrate, even in the midst of a pandemic.

The Sunday Times/CNA shortlists of fiction and non-fiction for 2021 have been announced.

Non-fiction

Criteria: “The winner should demonstrate the illumination of truthfulness, especially those forms of it that are new, delicate, unfashionable and fly in the face of power; compassion; elegance of writing; and intellectual and moral integrity.”

Jacob Dlamini Safari Nation: A Social History of the Kruger National Park (Jacana Media)

• A history of the world-famous nature reserve, with a specific focus on how black people relate to it.

Mark Gevisser The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers (Jonathan Ball Publishers)

• An exploration of the creation of the “Pink Line” over the last two decades.

Andrew Harding These Are Not Gentle People (Picador Africa)

• The impact of a brutal killing in a farm district of the Free State.

Pieter-Louis Myburgh Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule’s Web of Capture (Penguin Non-fiction)

• An investigation into Magashule’s activities through the ranks from activist to Free State Premier to African National Congress secretary-general.

Telita Snyckers Dirty Tobacco: Spies, Lies and Mega-Profits (Tafelberg)

• How reputable companies have been complicit in the illegal in tobacco products.

Fiction

Criteria: “The winner should be a novel of rare imagination and style, evocative, textured and a tale so compelling as to become an enduring landmark of contemporary fiction.”

Dawn Garisch Breaking Milk (Karavan Press)

• An exploration of the bonds between humans, animals and the environment.

Rešoketšwe Manenzhe Scatterlings (Jacana Media)

• Set in South Africa a century ago, this is a story, of love, loss and courage.

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu The History of Man (Penguin Fiction)

• A portrait of a male colonialist and the forces that created him.

Marguerite Poland A Sin of Omission (Penguin Fiction)

• Against the backdrop of a colonial society, a young clergyman faces a conflict between his family loyalties and to the church.

Mark Winkler Due South of Copenhagen (Umuzi)

• A former military conscript is forced to relook at his beliefs, memories and the lies that shaped his future.