Anthony Horowitz in South Africa

World renowned author, Anthony Horowitz will be visiting South Africa.

Anthony will be on a 5 day author tour, and will be at the Cape Town Book Fair from the 16 th – 17 th June. There will be numerous opportunities to hear him talk and get your books signed!

As a child - Born in north London, Anthony says, "I think I knew with certainty that I wanted to be a writer around eight." For birthdays, he asked for books, pens and a typewriter. His schooldays were not especially happy, more like something "out of Dickens or Dahl", and one reason he began writing books for young people was "to make up for the shortcomings of my childhood".

As an adult - Anthony lives in north London with his wife Jill Green, a TV producer, and their sons Nicholas and Cassian. His whole family gets involved in his writing.
As an artist - Anthony's first novel was Enter Frederick K. Bower, published in 1979 when Anthony was just 23. He has since written many more and is also a prolific writer for television, film and theatre. Anthony's phenomenally successful series of books about teen super spy Alex Rider have delighted children all over the world, and in 2003, Anthony was delighted to win the Red House Children's Book Award for Skeleton Key as it was voted for entirely by children. Anthony's supernatural series, Power of Five, which begins with Raven's Gate, was inspired by a simple thought. "Would it be possible to write something like Lord of the Rings - but to set it here, now, in the real world?" says Anthony. "Isn't it more exciting to imagine these great battles with all their magic and mystery happening in the very high street where you live, just out of the corner of your eye?"

Books
From Alex Rider to the Diamond brothers, Anthony Horowitz has written over 50 books. These include:
Alex Rider Series
Power of Five Series
The Diamond Brother Series
Granny
The Switch

The movie adaptation of Stormbreaker was released in South Africa in December 2006. In 2007 we will release the new book in the Power of Five Series, Nightrise and the new Alex Rider novel, Snakehead.

Anthony Horowitz in South Africa

World renowned author, Anthony Horowitz will be visiting South Africa.

Anthony will be on a 5 day author tour, and will be at the Cape Town Book Fair from the 16 th – 17 th June. There will be numerous opportunities to hear him talk and get your books signed!

As a child - Born in north London, Anthony says, "I think I knew with certainty that I wanted to be a writer around eight." For birthdays, he asked for books, pens and a typewriter. His schooldays were not especially happy, more like something "out of Dickens or Dahl", and one reason he began writing books for young people was "to make up for the shortcomings of my childhood".

As an adult - Anthony lives in north London with his wife Jill Green, a TV producer, and their sons Nicholas and Cassian. His whole family gets involved in his writing.
As an artist - Anthony's first novel was Enter Frederick K. Bower, published in 1979 when Anthony was just 23. He has since written many more and is also a prolific writer for television, film and theatre. Anthony's phenomenally successful series of books about teen super spy Alex Rider have delighted children all over the world, and in 2003, Anthony was delighted to win the Red House Children's Book Award for Skeleton Key as it was voted for entirely by children. Anthony's supernatural series, Power of Five, which begins with Raven's Gate, was inspired by a simple thought. "Would it be possible to write something like Lord of the Rings - but to set it here, now, in the real world?" says Anthony. "Isn't it more exciting to imagine these great battles with all their magic and mystery happening in the very high street where you live, just out of the corner of your eye?"

Books
From Alex Rider to the Diamond brothers, Anthony Horowitz has written over 50 books. These include:
Alex Rider Series
Power of Five Series
The Diamond Brother Series
Granny
The Switch

The movie adaptation of Stormbreaker was released in South Africa in December 2006. In 2007 we will release the new book in the Power of Five Series, Nightrise and the new Alex Rider novel, Snakehead.

Jeffrey Archer to Co-author Fifth Gospel

“Already the very name of ‘Judas’ raises among Christians an instinctive reaction of criticism and condemnation … the betrayal of Judas remains … a mystery.”

Pope Benedict XVI in a General Audience at the Vatican, October 2006

Bestselling novelist, Jeffrey Archer, is to publish The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot on 20 th March 2007. The gospel will be published around the world in German, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and English, with Spanish and French rights currently under negotiation. The English-language audio version was recorded by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Cape Town last week.

Written in close collaboration with one of the world’s leading biblical scholars, Professor Francis J. Moloney, The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot throws new light on the mystery of Judas, including his motives for the betrayal and what happened to him after the crucifixion. At just over 22,000 words, it is roughly the same length as the four canonical Gospels.

The many mysteries surrounding Judas – for example, whether he really did commit suicide, as cited in The Gospel According to Matthew – have long intrigued scholars and theologians.

Together, the authors tell the story of Jesus, using the canonical texts as their basic point of reference, through the eyes of Judas. They offer a very plausible re-reading of the Christian tradition that throws into relief the tragedy of Judas, and the compassion of Jesus.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the book “riveting and plausible. It's so authentic. It sounds just like the kind of thing someone's son would do to try to rehabilitate their father's name.” Former Archbishop Lord Carey “liked it very much indeed”.

Ostensibly written by Judas’s son, Benjamin, and following the style of the Gospels, the aim was to write a story for twenty-first-century readers, with Professor Moloney ensuring the result would be credible to a first-century Christian or Jew. Both authors worked on the project intensively for nine months. Lord Archer was steered throughout by Professor Moloney and has included nothing with which the Professor disagreed; both acknowledge that 80% of the storytelling is Jeffrey Archer’s, and 80% of the scholarship is Professor Moloney’s.

The partnership between Jeffrey Archer and Francis Moloney was formed following a meeting in Rome between Lord Archer and Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Archbishop emeritus of Milan and former rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute , in Rome early in 2006. When Lord Archer asked who might be approached to help write such a gospel, Cardinal Martini immediately singled out one of his former students, Francis Moloney.

Francis Moloney’s distinguished academic career has included appointments as Professor of New Testament at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, President of the Catholic Biblical Association of America (the first non-US citizen ever to hold this position) and Chair at the Catholic University of America: the Katherine Drexel Chair of Religious Studies, where he later became Dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies.

Pope John Paul II appointed Professor Moloney to the International Theological Commission to the Holy See in 1984, and he remained on that important advisory body to the Holy See as one of its longest-serving members for 18 years. In 2005, he returned to his native Australia having been appointed the Provincial Superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He is the author of almost forty books.

Publication: 20 March 2007
ISBN: 9780230529014
Price: R131.00
Category: Fiction General
Format: Hardback
Page extent: 96 pp
Audio: CD (Read by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, incl. video footage)
9780230531390
Price: R202.00

2006 National Jewish Book Award

This has happened by Piera Sonnino has been named the runner up in the biography category of the 2006 National Jewish Book Awards.

Each year, the National Jewish Book Awards honor some of the best and most exciting authors in the field of Jewish literature. After more than 50 years of presenting these awards, hundreds of books have received the prestigious National Jewish Book Award, including titles by the top authors on the American Jewish literary scene.

Ten years after her return home from the lager, Piera Sonnino found the courage and the strength to tell the story of the extermination of her family by the Nazis; the tragedy of deportation, the death of her parents, her three brothers and two sisters in the concentration camps. Extraordinarily written, this account is strikingly accurate in bringing to life the methodical and relentless siege, the erosion of the freedoms and human dignity of the Italian Jews, from Mussolini's racial laws of 1938 to the final catastrophe of Auschwitz. In describing her arrival at the death camps, her writing dwells on the sea of mud, on a 'dimension that is completely contrary to all that which is human, a dimension that has even absorbed its own creators'. But the strength of her testimony rises from the mud, the personal diary becomes a universal voice that gives a name to that which cannot be expressed. Through her words, memory has the power to disarm this unspeakable evil.

The book will be released in April 2007.
Recommended price: R210

New releases from Struik Publishers (February 2007)

Are you wondering what to read? Good news! Struik has got good recommendations for you.

The Ultimate Diet Solution
by Anne Till

In The Ultimate Diet Solution, Registered Dietician Anne Till, RD (SA) reveals why we are facing this global pandemic and why many of us cannot seem to break free of the global trend of weight gain and poor health. The information is fascinating and shows how our daily choices actually impact on metabolism and cause poor health. Read more...

Buy it now!

The Ultimate Diet Solution Cookbook
by Nicola Duffield and Anne Till

The Ultimate Diet Solution Cookbook by registered dieticians Nicola Duffield and Anne Till will help you prepare healthy, quick-and-easy dishes with little fuss and effort that suit both a modern lifestyle and the family diet. The recipes promote weight loss and wholesome living, and address lifestyle-associated diseases such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and Type II diabetes. They are also ideal for people who are insulin resistant. Read more...

Buy it now!


The Atlas of Bird Migration
by Jonathan Elphick and Malcolm Ogilvie

Since the dawn of time people have wondered how birds could navigate from one end of the earth to the other, and back again, year after year, every year returning to the same area – sometimes even to the nesting spot. Read more...

Buy it now!

Pillowbook
by Dr Eve

In the early 14th century Japanese tradition allowed for a young woman to receive a PILLOWBOOK from her mother on the eve of her wedding. Placed under the bride's pillow this book was filled with sexual permission, advice, tips and techniques for the young lovers. Read more...

Buy it now!

Star of the Morning Cape Town Launch

Random House is pleased to announce the publication of Star of the Morning, the new novel from Pamela Jooste, the acclaimed award-winning author of Dance with a Poor Man’s Daughter, Frieda and Min, Like Water in Wild Places, and People Like Ourselves.

Star of the Morning follows the lives of two Cape Town sisters, Ruby and Rose. Within their own social grouping, the sisters live at the poor end of town. When their mother dies shortly after their father, Ruby and Rose are dependent on their “respectable” Auntie Olive, who outsources their upbringing to the nuns at the Sacred Heart orphanage. The sisters stick together through their days in the orphanage; through monthly Sunday lunches at Auntie Olive’s table; through separation when Ruby, the eldest, is sent out to work; and through love, death, marriage and major sea changes in the world around them.

Star of Morning uses the characters of Ruby and Rose to depict the poignant and often complex bond shared by sisters of all backgrounds. Pamela Jooste once again demonstrates a profound appreciation for and understanding of relationships and of that which separates and unites us as humans.

You are invited to join the author at the international launch of Star of the Morning:

Date: Wednesday, 21 February 2006
Time: 5:30 for 6:00 pm
Venue: Welgemeend
Address: 29 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town
RSVP: Laura Boon: 083 659-3166 or email laura@lbcommunications.co.za
by Friday 16 February

Star of the Morning Joburg Launch

Random House is pleased to announce the publication of Star of the Morning, the new novel from Pamela Jooste, the acclaimed award-winning author of Dance with a Poor Man’s Daughter, Frieda and Min, Like Water in Wild Places, and People Like Ourselves.

Star of the Morning follows the lives of two Cape Town sisters, Ruby and Rose. Within their own social grouping, the sisters live at the poor end of town. When their mother dies shortly after their father, Ruby and Rose are dependent on their “respectable” Auntie Olive, who outsources their upbringing to the nuns at the Sacred Heart orphanage. The sisters stick together through their days in the orphanage; through monthly Sunday lunches at Auntie Olive’s table; through separation when Ruby, the eldest, is sent out to work; and through love, death, marriage and major sea changes in the world around them.

Star of Morning uses the characters of Ruby and Rose to depict the poignant and often complex bond shared by sisters of all backgrounds. Pamela Jooste once again demonstrates a profound appreciation for and understanding of relationships and of that which separates and unites us as humans.

You are invited to join the author at the Johannesburg launch of Star of the Morning:

Date: Wednesday, 28 February 2006
Time: 5:30 for 6:00 pm
Venue: Hazeldene Hall
Address: 20 Ridge Road, Parktown, Johannesburg
RSVP: Kim Rudman: 011 658-1581 or email kimr@lbcommunications.co.za
by Thursday 22 February

Under the Sway by Justin Fox

Buy it now!

UNDER THE SWAY
A photographic journey through Mozambique
Bewitched by Mozambique's dazzling beauty, its alluring architecture, multihued seascapes, rambunctious markets and harbours and antiquated sailing craft, travel writer Justin Fox set out to capture all of these in his latest book, a hardcover, full-colour photographic feast accompanied by a compelling text.

Under the Sway does not pretend to cover the whole of Mozambique, nor does it intend to cover its essential sites. What are captured here are glimpses of a country, by a traveller who has traversed its highs and lows, unembroidered and unembellished – but photographed by a master craftsman who takes us along on a photographic journey from the deep south of Ponto de Oura to the wild north at Entre Lagos in a sweeping exploration of this impressive country.

No stranger to travel, Justin Fox is a photojournalist for Getaway magazine and researches stories throughout Africa. Fox holds a doctorate in English from Oxford University that he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He is a two-time Mondi journalism award winner. "Mozambique was like nothing I'd experienced before, like no road I'd ever taken," he says. "[There] I'd seen some of Africa's finest buildings and met some of its bravest, most optimistic people. I'd microlighted through coral gardens, sailed a night dhow to Ibo. I'd scaled the ancient walls of Fort Sebastian and watched fisherman mending their sails in the street. I'd done the Dondo to Caia road. I'd tasted molten prawns, cashew nuts lightly peri peri'd and too many Dois M beers. I'd found idyllic, palm-rimmed beaches, crumbling cathedrals and forgotten Portuguese forts. And, Mozambique had opened my camera eye."

Under the Sway is a visually striking, beautifully designed and highly personal depiction by a gifted artist that represents a landscape about which he is passionate. Far more than yet another coffee-table book, it will hold readers in its thrall as we share Fox’s innovative vision and experience of a glorious land whose popularity with tourists - from South Africa in particular – continues to grow in leaps and bounds.
For sample photographs from Under the Sway, please visit our website at http://www.umuzi-randomhouse.co.za/.

Under the Sway by Justin Fox is published by Umuzi, the South African imprint of Random House. It will be available in bookshops from February 2007 at a recommended retail price of R250.


Issued by Daniel Rabinowitz, Sales and Marketing Manager, Random House (Pty) Ltd. For further information, or to set up an interview with the author, please contact Lyn Riesnik at Random House (Pty) Ltd. E-mail: lriesnek@randomhouse.co.za; Tel: +27 11 484 3538; Fax: +27 11 484 6180

Star of the Morning by Pamela Jooste

Buy it now!

STAR OF THE MORNING
A new bestseller from Pamela Jooste!

Star of the Morning is the latest novel by acclaimed South African author Pamela Jooste. It tells the story of Ruby and Rose, two Cape Town sisters who live on the poor side of town. Their lives are torn apart when their father is killed and their mother dies shortly thereafter. The girls’ destinies are entrusted to their “respectable” Auntie Olive. Ashamed of her sister’s children, whose poverty she believes will reflect on her own status, she outsources their care to the nuns at the Sacred Heart orphanage, granting them a visit for Sunday lunch once a month.

Jooste sensitively explores the special bond shared between sisters as we follow the lives of Ruby and Rose, from their days at the orphanage and Sunday lunch with Auntie Olive to Ruby’s first job ‘in service’ at a Dock Road hotel and Rose’s marriage, through love, death, scandal and the major sea changes that take place in the world around them.

Star of the Morning is about relationships, about overcoming adversity, love, heartbreak and joy. It’s about lives that may seem small from the outside but that are more than big enough to absorb and poignantly reflect the whole spectrum that life has to offer, joy, adversity, laughter and tears, the things that we say, and the things that we all too often regret leaving unsaid.

Jooste’s previous books include the award-winning, Dance with a Poor Man’s Daughter, Frieda and Min, Like Water in Wild Places, and People Like Ourselves.

Star of the Morning by Pamela Jooste is available from Random House. The book is available from February 2007 at a recommended retail price of R176.


Issued on behalf of Random House by Laura Boon Communications. For further information contact Laura Boon or Kim Rudman on (011) 658-1581 or laura@lbcommunications.co.za

The Macmillan Children's Illustrator Award

Macmillan is today delighted to announce the start of the fourth Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa, the only literary prize awarded to writers of unpublished African children’s literature. The competition is open to entrants from all countries in Africa.

Previous prize winners have had their entries published and promoted by Macmillan throughout Africa; winning and short listed entries have come from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zambia to date, and there have been a number of strong contenders from other African countries.
Here are comments from two competitors:

“Even though I didn’t win, I was greatly encouraged to learn that my entry was nominated as one of the best from my country. I will definitely try again next time.”

“I’ve enjoyed reading some of the published winners. It has helped me to be more aware of my own writing, and to think more carefully about writing for children.”

Following the successful launch of the Macmillan Children’s Illustrator Award in 2005, Macmillan is pleased to be running this competition a second time, in recognition of the importance of pictures in African children’s books.

Macmillan Education is sponsoring both prizes with the following awards. Macmillan will also offer publication for the winning stories:

Junior Award
For an original, unpublished story in English of not more than 10,000 words written for children in the 8-12 age range
Prize value US$5,000

Senior Award
For an original, unpublished story in English between 14,000 and 20,000 words, written for young people between the ages of 13 and 17 years.
Prize value US$5,000

New Children’s Writer Award
For and original story in either the junior or senior category by a previously unpublished writer
Prize Value US$3,000

Children’s Illustrator Award
For an illustration based on one of the texts detailed in the competitor’s pack.
Prize value US$1,000

The closing date for all entries is 30 June 2007. Manuscripts for the Writer’s Prize will be evaluated by an independent panel of four judges who are prominent writers: Meshack Asare, Jamila Gavin, Jack Mapanje and Helen Oyeyemi. The shortlist will be announced in November 2007 and the prize winners will be announced in January 2008. There will be a special awards ceremony later in the year to celebrate the publication of the winning stories.

The winning entry for the Illustrator’s Award will be displayed as part of the Writer’s Award ceremony. Macmillan will enter into separate discussions with the winning illustrator regarding further assignments in children’s book illustration for Africa.

Competitors’ packs with full information and entry forms can be obtained FREE from local Macmillan offices or by emailing writersprize@macmillan.co.uk

Issued By: Nombuso Mkhize
Company: Macmillan South Africa
Enquiries: +27 (0)11 731 3330