Mahala's biography gives insight into the life and writing of Can Themba (1924–1967), an iconic figure of the South African literary world and Drum journalist who died in exile This rich and absorbing biography of Can Themba, iconic Drum-era journalist and writer, is the definitive history of a larger-than-life man who died too young. Siphiwo Mahala's intensive and often fresh research features unprecedented archival access and interviews with Themba's surviving colleagues and family. Mahala’s biography takes a critical historical approach to Themba’s life and writing, giving a picture of the whole man, from his early beginnings in Marabastad to his sombre end in exile in Swaziland. The better-known elements of his life – his political views, passion for teaching and mentoring, family life and his drinking – are woven together with an examination of his literary influences and the impact of his own writing (especially his famous short story 'The Suit') on modern African writers in turn. Mahala, a master storyteller, deftly follows the threads of Themba's dynamic life, showcasing his intellectual acumen, scholarly aptitude and wit, along with his flaws, contradictions and heartbreaks, against a backdrop of the sparkle and pathos of Sophiatown of the 1950s. Can Themba’s successes and failures as well as his triumphs and tribulations reverberate on the pages of this long-awaited biography. The result is an authoritative and entertaining account of an often misunderstood figure in South Africa's literary canon.

The suit continued -- The dress that fed the suit : Zukiswa Wanner -- The lost suit -- White encounters -- Bhontsi's toe -- Hunger -- The truth -- The other truth -- So many truths -- The queen of the highlanders -- African delights -- The best of African delights -- Afterword: Ten years of writing.

A hard-hitting, and emotional story set in South Africa, following Themba and his dreams of becoming a famous footballer. Themba grows up dreaming of becoming a football star. One day he leaves the village and travels with his sister to the city in search of their mother. Life is a struggle and Themba has to grow up fast. A lucky break gives him the chance to train as a footballer and play professionally – but Themba has a secret – should he tell the truth about his HIV and risk everything he’s ever dreamed of? ~ Themba won an IBBY award - Best Book for Young People. Karin Chubb was Shortlisted for the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation for Themba, a unique award celebrating the high quality and diversity of translated fiction for young readers. The book was also made into an award-winning film. “Beautifully translated from the original ... it is a book full of hope and the more young people who read books like this and who come to understand how other young children live, the more this hope will spread.” Books, Teens and Magazines “Themba reminds me of my own childhood and youth in a township close to a small village in the Transvaal in South Africa: Like him I wanted to escape poverty, like him I had the hope that our world will be a just world one day – and like him I loved my mother who was working at the time as a maid for a white family. To be very honest: in soccer Themba seems to be simply better than I was.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu “READ OF THE MONTH” Pride magazine “...an inspirational coming of age drama about a young South African boy’s escape from poverty and the pusuit of a dream.” Spling onliner “It’s a rags to riches story – a story of hope, of dreaming your dreams and achieving them, and it’s also a story of friendship...” The Sunday Independent “It’s a really engaging book, and because Aids is a serious issue, it made us want to carry on reading more about it.” Durning Library teenage reading group “Beautifully translated from the original and it is an easy and straightforward read. However, the storyline is tough – poverty, AIDS and death haunt the pages of the book. The reader learns about the hardship of life for many ordinary South Africans (even after Mandela came to power) and the struggle for those families who have a family member suffering from AIDS. The problems they face do not lie solely in a lack of medication and good nutrition; it also lies in the ignorance of their neighbours and friends and a refusal of many to acknowledge the illness and help the ill. However this is not a depressing book – it is a book full of hope and the more young people who read books like this and who come to understand how other young children live, the more this hope will spread.” Books, Teens and Magazines

A pioneering account of how South Africa's three leading cities were fashioned, experienced, promoted and perceived.

'Modisane's book, read today by all South Africans, will expose our raw pasts, private and public in their nature, which are still present in many forms as unacknowledged antecedents ... Engrossed and fascinated, I turned the pages of Blame Me on History as fast as I could.' – Njabulo S Ndebele Feeling an exile in the country of his birth, the talented journalist and leading black intellectual Bloke Modisane left South Africa in 1959. It was shortly after the apartheid government had bulldozed Sophiatown, the township of his childhood. His biting indictment of apartheid, Blame Me on History, was published in 1963 – and banned shortly afterwards. Modisane offers a harrowing account of the degradation and oppression faced daily by black South Africans. His penetrating observations and insightful commentary paint a vivid picture of what it meant to be black in apartheid South Africa. At the same time, his evocative writing transports the reader back to a time when Sophiatown still teemed with life. This 60th-anniversary edition of Modisane's autobiography serves as an example of passionate resistance to the scourge of racial discrimination in our country, and is a reminder not to forget our recent past.