In a year of upheaval and uncertainty the local publishing industry has continued to put out books for everyone’s tastes and interests. Here’s my unashamedly patriotic selection of the best local books I’ve enjoyed reading this year in no particular order of preference. This is the full top ten, which due to space considerations we weren’t able to run in full in this week’s paper.

Playing the Enemy by John Carlin, Atlantic R 220

If your idea of a sports book is the autobiography of Lewis Hamilton or a pic-heavy compilation of the sayings of Christian Ronaldo then you can skip Carlin’s intelligent and insightful analysis of the behind the scenes events leading up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. A little too enveloped in the glow of Madiba magic at times, Playing the Enemy is nonetheless the kind of sports book that anyone interested in politics, history and other non-playing field related topics can appreciate and it’s well written too.

In a Different Time by Peter Harris, Umuzi, R 185

A book written by a former lawyer that its publishers claim is as exciting as a thriller. Yeah right. Well, actually this is the best book about our not so recent past to be written in a long time and what’s more Peter Harris can write. The story of the Delmas Four – a group of MK operatives operating in the 1980s and their subsequent capture and incarceration is absorbing and completely engaging. Harris controls his plot like a master thriller writer and keeps you turning the pages furiously as you hurtle towards an emotionally fraught climax.

Three Letter Plague by Jonny Steinberg, Jonathan Ball, R170

The master of narrative non-fiction returns with this moving and carefully observed account of Sizwe a young man living in the Eastern Cape who has to decide whether or not to be tested for HIV. More personal than any of Steinberg’s previous books, Three Letter Plague is a timely and brilliant examination of the everyday realities of AIDS in South Africa.

Interview with Jonny Steinberg about Three Letter Plague:

Street Blues by Andrew Brown, Zebra Press, R139.95

Sunday Times Fiction Prize winner Andrew Brown turns his hand to memoir in this account of his time spent on the streets of Cape Town as a police reservist. Beautifully written and sympathetically observed, Street Blues gives us insight into the day-to-day challenges of ordinary people struggling to keep themselves sane under challenging circumstances and while a little more engagement with some of the bigger issues around crime and policing may have helped, there’s no faulting Brown’s attempt to deal with the emotional difficulties that form an inescapable part of the job.

Interview with Andrew Brown about Street Blues:

The Mandela Files by Zapiro, Double Storey R350

He publishes an annual every year and there’s always a controversial cartoon or two included but in a year when Jonathan Shapiro caused more of a hullabaloo than usual, this belated birthday tribute to Mandela provides a fascinating look into the cartoonist’s personal history and workings. With all-new colour versions of some of his best work and detailed accounts of his working process, The Mandela Files provides not only laughs but also a thoughtful meditation by South Africa’s favourite satirist on one of his personal heroes.

Interview and Slide Show with Zapiro on The Mandela Files:

The Joburg Book edited by Nechama Brodie, Pan Macmillan, R300

Put aside some annoying typos and the occasional dodgy fact and you’re left with a unique and far-reaching look at South Africa’s most socially exciting city. Including everything from prehistory to the discovery of gold, the townships of Soweto and Alexandra The Joburg Book is full of facts, nostalgia and reflection and is not just for residents but also for anyone interested in the social history of South Africa. With hundreds of rare photographs, guides to keeping yourself entertained and essays on pockets of Joburg life and culture this book is as vibrant as the city itself.

Interview with Nechama Brodie editor of The Joburg Book:

The Rowing Lesson by Anne Landsman, Kwela, R145

Once you get over the initially disconcerting use of second person narration its easy to quickly settle into this moving story of a daughter coming to terms with the death of her doctor father. Landsman has a keen eye for detail and a real ability to empathise with her characters and The Rowing Lesson is a well-exercised and thoughtful meditation on the difficulties presented by the death of a loved one.

The Lost Colours of the Chameleon by Mandla Langa, Picador Africa, R169

A timely fable of the corrupting influence of power, Mandla Langa’s new novel tells the story of three young men’s interconnected lives on the fictional island of Bangula. Reminiscent of the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez The Lost Colours of the Chameleon puts its author firmly back onto the list of the best writers of his generation. Often quietly amusing and unassumingly profound this is a book with a universal relevance that is firmly situated in the familiar political upheavals of the country at the moment.

Interview with Mandla Langa about The Lost Colours of the Chameleon:

Beethoven Was One Sixteenth Black by Nadine Gordimer, Penguin, R180

If this new collection by Nobel Laureate is anything to go on, age is not stopping Nadine Gordimer. An eclectic, thoughtful collection of often amusing stories that deal with more universal issues than the politics of race and identity often associated with her previous work, this is Gordimer at her most engaging and provocative.

Payback by Mike Nicol, Umuzi, R165

Mike Nicol’s first solo foray into crime fiction is a rollicking tale of drugs, arms dealing and international intrigue set on the streets of Cape Town. With a keen ear for the dialogue of the streets and a pair of likeable but tough and fallible characters called Mace and Pylon at its centre, this is crime writing with universal quality and local relevance that leaves Nicol’s contemporaries with a whole lot of catching up to do.

Interview with Mike Nicol about Payback:

Related posts:

1. Random House South Africa and Struik Publishers Merger
2. Es’kia Mphahlele Has Died
3. Mandla Langa and Uwem Akpan win Commonwealth Prize Africa Region.
4. The Penguin African Writers Series
5. 12th TIME OF THE WRITER International Writers Festival Durban: 9 – 14 March 2009