Here is a list of all the amazing events you can look forward to at the Franschhoek Literary Festival this year! Because there are so many wonderful events we have decided to split them into 3 blogs (one for each day of the festival).
10h00-11h00
[95] Can the ANC be Mended? (New School Hall)
After a tumultuous year for the governing party, Ray Hartley asks Anthony Butler (Remaking the ANC),
Anthea Jeffery and Moeletsi Mbeki whether the ANC is permanently damaged.
[96] Is Anger Underrated? (Old School Hall)
Eusebius McKaiser, with Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Thando Mgqolozana and Marianne Thamm,
considers the role of anger in our social lives and literature. Does anger have moral purpose? Are we an
irredeemably angry nation? Or should we just stop being so pissed off all the time?
[97] Brothers in Crime (Congregational Church)
Jenny Crwys-Williams scrutinises the lives and works of crime writers Deon Meyer, Franck Thilliez and
Olivier Truc.
[98] ‘The middle-class woman began to write’ (Council Chamber)
Finuala Dowling, Dorothy Driver and Lyndall Gordon discuss what Virginia Woolf meant when she
declared that the emergence of women writers in the 18th century was ‘of greater importance than the
Crusades or the Wars of the Roses’.
[99] The Global Audience (Hospice Hall)
When authors look for international readers, adapting how and what they write is inevitable. Or is it? asks Karina Szczurek of Damon Galgut, SJ Naudé, and Ivan Vladislavić.
[100] Drawing Lines (Protea Hotel 1)
How easy is it to write from the point of view of the ‘other’ – be they of another gender, race or class?
Victor Dlamini looks for the lines in the sand that are crossed, or respected, by Carol Campbell, Helon
Habila and Craig Higginson.
[101] Poetry: After Class (Protea Hotel 2)
Denise Newfield chats to Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Joan Metelerkamp and Wendy Woodward (A Saving Bannister) about the ways teaching, or being taught, creative writing has influenced their poetry.
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10h00-12h00
[102] Nelson Mandela: The myth and me (Screening Room) (Tickets R100, 2 hours)
In this award-winning documentary, Khalo Matabane goes in search of Nelson Mandela – the fallible
human being behind the media’s hagiographies, asking world leaders, activists and writers, among many, for their memories. Matabane will lead a discussion with the audience after the screening.
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11h30-12h30
[103] Race: Nature or Nurture? (New School Hall)
As South Africans continue to grapple with the issue of race 20 years into our democracy, Francis Wilson asks GG Alcock, Gavin Evans and Jonathan Jansen to share their knowledge and understanding of exactly what race is.
[104] Through a Fictional Prism (Old School Hall)
Narrative non fiction writers enjoy special status on South African bestseller lists. Hedley Twidle considers the chosen forms of Tim Butcher, Mark Gevisser and Jonny Steinberg, and asks them how they have honed their craft.
[105] The Inaugural André Brink Memorial Lecture (Church Hall)
Karina Szczurek welcomes you to the first in an annual series of lectures in honour of her late husband,
André Brink, and will introduce Harry Garuba (UCT Centre for African Studies and English Department).
He will consider the ways in which the so-called ‘minor’ literatures get onto the world literary stage, and
how they are read, appropriated, and canonised: in short, the ways they become world literature.
[106] The Tale Is in the Telling (Congregational Church)
Mandla Langa muses about friendship, music, books and writing with his friends, the author and journalist Bongani Madondo and music maestro Hugh Masekela.
[107] Writing Head Space (Council Chamber)
Does writing require a special space, be it in the head or the home, for creativity to flourish? Michele
Magwood peeks into the minds of Marguerite Poland, Beverly Rycroft and Jaco van Schalkwyk to find
out where and how they work best.
[108] Subverting Genre (Hospice Hall)
Tom Eaton asks Belinda Bauer, Romain Puértolas and Sarah Waters about the problems of writing to
expectations in their chosen genres – whether of their readers or publishers. Do they cut their cloth to suit requirements, or go their own ways, regardless?
[109] Rattling Cages (Protea Hotel 1)
Refusing to temper their tongues, Rebecca Davis, Zethu Matebeni (Reclaiming Afrikan) and Malaika wa
Azania tell Marianne Thamm why they will not back down when it comes to expressing their opinions.
[110] Poetry: Ecological Urgency (Protea Hotel 2)
Wendy Woodward leads a discussion with Ian McCallum (Untamed) and Dan Wylie about using poetry
to convey nature and its crises.
12h00-13h10
An Autumn Music Weekend in Franschhoek (4)
For Two Guitars (NG Church) R100, pay at the door
South African classical guitarist James Grace joins young guitarist Chloe Murphy in a programme of music for two guitars. Music by John Dowland and Isaac Albéniz, with original duo works by Fernando Sor and Maximo Diego Pujol.
12h30-14h30
[111] Nelson Mandela: The myth and me (Screening Room) (Tickets R100, 2 hours) – Repeat
Khalo Matabane goes in search of Nelson Mandela – the fallible human being behind the media’s hagiographies, asking world leaders, activists and writers, among many, for their memories. Matabane will lead a discussion with the audience after the screening.
13h00-14h00
[112] A Sketch in Time (New School Hall)
In this illustrated talk, writer Mike Wills and cartoonist Zapiro look back on two decades of life and politics in South Africa, as recorded in Democrazy.
[113] Throwing the Bones (Old School Hall)
What does the future hold for our troubled country, politically, economically and creatively? Redi Tlhabi asks Jane Duncan, Greg Mills and Mike van Graan to speculate.
[114] Elephants in the Room (Church Hall)
When contentious issues are made the subject of fiction, must writers tread sensitively? Victor Dlamini asks John Boyne, Mandla Langa and Eshkol Nevo about the considerations they made before embarking on their latest books.
[115] The Art of Crafting Commentary (Congregational Church)
Political opinions are ten a penny in SA media, but writing commentary that is original, insightful and a delight to read is not so easy. Four of the best, Rebecca Davis, Darrel Bristow-Bovey, Tom Eaton and Richard Poplak, chat about what it takes to do what they do.
[116] War Stories (Council Chamber)
Peculiar circumstances elicit peculiar tales, and war is the most peculiar of circumstances. Tim Couzens asks Dean Allen (Empire, War & Cricket) and Bill Nasson about the stories they have gleaned, and contributes some of his own.
[117] Finding Your Voice (Hospice Hall)
The director of the UCT Creative Writing Programme, Imraan Coovadia, speaks to Thando Mgqolozana, Nthikeng Mohlele and Alexandra van Tonder (This One Time) about their decision to start writing, how they found their voices (or deliberately resist writing in only one voice), and what it took to get published.
[118] Cookbooks and Crook Books (Protea Hotel 1)
Recipe books and true crime stories have dominated book sales in recent years. Author Ron Irwin (Flat Water Tuesday) quizzes Fourie Botha (Penguin Random House), Libby Doyle (Quivertree) and Ingeborg Pelser (Jonathan Ball Publishers) about upcoming trends in fiction and non fiction publishing.
[119] Poetry: Focus on Jackie Kay (Protea Hotel 2)
Finuala Dowling (Notes from the Dementia Ward) chats to the acclaimed Scottish poet and novelist Jackie Kay (Fiere) about the key themes of her poems, and asks her to share a few.
13h00
An Autumn Music Weekend in Franschhoek (5)
Concert: Bon Bon Finale R450, includes a 3-course lunch
Christopher Duigan (piano) and Joanna Frankel (violin) play music by Chopin and violin favourites for an entertaining lunch performance. Bookings for lunch and concert: Café Bon Bon 021 876 3936
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