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  • [ August 28, 2026 ] Surface Olivier Norek Review Fiction
  • [ August 26, 2026 ] Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Reading Lists
  • [ August 26, 2026 ] Bridging the Gender Divide: Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Spotlight Spotlight on Publishing
  • [ August 25, 2026 ] Red River Somnath Batabyal Review Fiction
  • [ August 20, 2026 ] Maureen Freely Translator, Novelist & Advocate Interview Interviews
  • [ August 17, 2026 ] The Aquatics Osvalde Lewat Review Fiction
  • [ July 29, 2026 ] The Bureau of Unknown Fates Gaëlle Nohant Review Fiction
  • [ July 26, 2026 ] Reading Around the World Top 5 Books of the Month Reading Lists
  • [ July 12, 2026 ] My Dreadful Body Egana Djabbarova Review Fiction
  • [ July 9, 2026 ] Ever Land by Amy Abdelnoor Review Fiction
Homesouth african literature

south african literature

For most of the 20th century, South African writing couldn’t avoid politics and the moral chaos of apartheid. It was marked by resistance, exile and moral confrontation. Post-1994, after the first democratic elections, South African literature entered a new polyphonic, postcolonial phase of restless redefinition. 

Memories of a Documentary Filmmaker Antony Thomas book blast review
Non Fiction

In the Line of Fire Antony Thomas Review

March 25, 2022 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on In the Line of Fire Antony Thomas Review
Antony Thomas was making documentary films at a time in film and TV when leading producers and executives were backed by their organizations, could stand by their principles and get films made. Three very different […]
ian holding what happened to us review bookblast diary
Fiction

What Happened to Us Ian Holding Review

April 15, 2018 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on What Happened to Us Ian Holding Review
BookBlast review of What Happened to Us by Ian Holding, set in Zimbabwe amidst the faultlines of modern Africa. The bleakness and violence of life in modern Zimbabwe underpin this powerful coming-of-age tale, as thirteen-year-old […]
ian holding interview cover bookblast diary
Interviews

Ian Holding Author Interview

April 14, 2018 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on Ian Holding Author Interview
BookBlast Interview with Ian Holding, author Ian Holding, where were you born, and where did you grow up? I was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and have lived here all my life. What sorts of books […]
green lion bookblast review bookblast diary
Fiction

Green Lion Henrietta Rose-Innes Review

October 15, 2017 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on Green Lion Henrietta Rose-Innes Review
BookBlast reviews The Green Lion by South African author, Henrietta Rose-Innes. In the popular imagination, Africa is one great big game reserve where man can hunt to his heart’s content, relishing the thrill of the […]
henrietta rose innes bookblast diary
Interviews

Henrietta Rose-Innes Author Interview

October 12, 2017 Georgia de Chamberet Comments Off on Henrietta Rose-Innes Author Interview
BookBlast interview with Henrietta Rose-Innes, author Henrietta Rose-Innes, tell us a bit about your childhood years. Where were you born, and where did you grow up? Born and bred in Cape Town, under Table Mountain. […]

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    Emma Other Ways of Seeing 4Translation
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    Exhumation: Madan Lal Dhingra, Leena Dhingra Review
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    Top 10 Reads for Independent Minds XII BookBlast Recommends
    June 24, 2018

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Looking for an unputdownable crime read? Look no f Looking for an unputdownable crime read? Look no further! 
Surface by Olivier Norek translated by Nick Caistor is the ultimate police procedural due out with @openborderspress 
In her review for BookBlast Diary, Emily Unwin breaks down why this thriller delivers on every front:
- Deep suspense & clever twists
- High-stakes crimes & misdemeanours 
- A lead detective you’ll root for
As @emily.unwin puts it, genre writing requires a pact with the reader and @NorekOlivier delivers a perfectly packaged, gripping story from start to finish. One for your TBR pile that's for sure! 
Read her full review via link in bio
Women in Translation Month may be ending, but grea Women in Translation Month may be ending, but great literature is timeless. Whose world will you step into next?
We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Maureen Freely and her team @elifgulez.writer spotlighting @warwickprizewomenintranslation The annual prize celebrates the finest full-length book written by a woman translated into English, published in the UK or Ireland. All literary genres are welcomed: novels, poetry, creative non-fiction, graphic novels, children’s or YA fiction, short story collections, novellas and plays.
Established in 2017, the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation champions and propels international women’s voices from the periphery into mainstream cultural conversations.
‘We’ve come a long way with the championing of world literature over the past decade... In the same period, however, we’ve noticed that it is markedly more difficult for women to make it into English translation. This prize offers us an opportunity to welcome in the voices and perspectives we’ve missed thus far,’ Maureen Freely, BookBlast Diary - read the full feature on our website. 
🔗 Click the link in bio to browse & buy the Women in Translation Prize collection on Bookshop.org
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BookBlast® is a human-curated, independent-spirited, non-profit literary media hub and Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to championing international literature in translation and celebrating cross-cultural exchange.

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