FRANSCHHOEK LITERARY FESTIVAL

The 2011 Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) will take place from May 13 to 15 with nearly 100 authors, poets, editors, illustrators and chairpeople.

FLF events are mostly spirited discussions between several writers on a theme, and include fiction and non-fiction authors whose books range from biography and politics to graphic novels.

News is that London-based South African author and former winner of the Sunday Times Fiction Award, Justin Cartwright, will be hotfooting it to Franschhoek after launching his new book, Other People’s Money, and helping to decide on the International Man Booker Prize shortlist with fellow judges in Australia.

The FLF is delighted to be presenting bestselling author Colin Cotterill to South African readers who haven’t yet discovered his gently humorous mysteries set in Laos in the 70’s, starring the National (and only) Coroner, Dr Siri Paiboun. English-born Colin is a teacher and cartoonist who has lived and worked in South-East Asia for a number of years and knows the region well. His website www.colincotterill.com is a treat.

The University of the Free State Vice-chancellor Jonathan Jansen will debate some of the major issues of our time in events titled How to Fix our Schools, Can Books Help to Heal a Nation? and Leadership & Innovation. New collections of his columns in both English and Afrikaans will be published by Bookstorm in time for the FLF: We Need to Talk and Oor Bokdrolletjies en Rosyntjies.

Expect more meaty debates in 1994 And All That with Peter Harris (Birth) and Jonny Steinberg (Little Liberia), chaired by John Maytham; Press Freedom chaired by Justice Malala with, among others, Durban satirical blogger Azad Essa (Zuma’s Bastard) who is coming from Doha where he now works for Al Jazeera; and Outcasts with Carmel Rickard (Thank You, Judge Mostert), Max du Preez (Pale Native) and Jonny Steinberg again, chaired by Jacques Pauw (Little Ice Cream Boy).

Writing Madiba will feature authors who have worked on books about our local hero who has become a world icon: Tim Couzens (Conversations With Myself), Anna Trapido (Hunger for Freedom) and Mike Nicol (Mandela: the Authorised Portrait), chaired by Max du Preez who has been commissioned to write The Rough Guide to Nelson Mandela.

Mike Nicol specialises in crime novels (Black Heart¸ the third book in his Revenge Trilogy, is coming out in May) and will also be appearing in the events What is Krimi? with Jassy Mackenzie (Stolen Lives), Sarah Lotz (Tooth and Nailed) and Sifiso Mzobe (Young Blood), and Skop, Skiet en Donder which promises action-packed dialogue with Tony Park (Silent Predator), Australia’s answer to Wilbur Smith, and Sifiso Mzobe again, chaired by the inimitable Jenny Crwys-Williams.

The full programme will be available on www.flf.co.za towards the end of February.

The FLF is presented in association with Porcupine Ridge Wines and the Sunday Times, and is further made possible through the generosity of Franschhoek guest house owners and voluntary workers who give their time and energy to make it an event to remember. Ticket proceeds and other donations go towards the FLF Library Fund.