The Interpreters

Across three decades of democracy, South Africa has seen an outpouring of longform, narrative journalism and creative nonfiction – genres in which some of the country’s finest writers have tried to make sense of a complex and changing society. This brand new, one-of-a-kind anthology collects some of the best nonfiction published since the end of apartheid, carefully selected and introduced by editors Sean Christie and Hedley Twidle.

From the underworld of zama-zama goldminers to the tragicomic closure of a Cape Town Zoo, from stick fighting to punk rock, game lodges to fruit farms, cricket pitches to mermaids, The Interpreters: South Africa’s New Nonfiction assembles a range of true stories that are often more far-fetched, and more compelling, than any fiction.

Creative nonfiction in South Africa has often been found at the margins of our media – in zines, journals, now defunct magazines and personal blogs. It is a kind of writing that has, in general, not made much financial sense – more a medium for those obsessed with pursuing a single story over months or years. In The Interpreters, the editors have combed through 30 years of post-apartheid writing to produce a collection that combines preeminent names with lesser known but no less immersive and powerful works of nonfiction – voices that deserve to be read and that represent fresh interpretations of a nation’s history.

Featuring J. M. Coetzee • Kimon de Greef • William Dicey • Alexandra Dodd • Madeleine Fullard • Mark Gevisser • Anna Hartford • Anton Harber • Michiel Heyns • Anton Kannemeyer • Bongani Kona • Rustum Kozain • Antjie Krog • Alastair Laird • Adrian Leftwich • Lidudumalingani • Bongani Madondo • Rian Malan • Zanele Mji • Mogorosi Motshumi • Nosisi Mpolweni • Julie Nxadi • Njabulo Ndebele • Lindokuhle Nkosi • Sean O’Toole • Kopano Ratele • Warren Raysdorf • Srila Roy • Lin Sampson • Kwanele Sosibo • Jonny Steinberg • Niren Tolsi • Matthew Wilhelm-Solomon • Roger Young • Percy Zvomuya