BOOK SA - News

For the first time in the history of the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English fiction - part of the Via Afrika series of literary awards, given to books published within the formidable stable of Via Afrika publishers - the award was shared, between novelists Maxine Case and Kgebetli Moele, for All We Have Left Unsaid and Room 207, respectively. Both books are published by Kwela.

The awards, held jointly with the M-Net Prize announcements at a black-tie function in Cape Town, are not part of the official Cape Town Book Fair programme; but with a total of R120 000 at stake (not including the M-Net cash), they certainly added to the buzz of a weekend already fraught with excitement.

Each Via Afrika award winner received R30 000, except in the “Illustrated Children’s Literature” category, where the prize is shared. (It was not announced whether Case and Moele would also share their prize.) Although Kwela sailed home in the Bosman stakes, Human & Rousseau also had a particularly good showing. Here are the other winners on the night. (My camera jammed once or twice, so I was not always able to get both author and book image - apologies.)

W.A. Hofmeyr prize for Afrikaans literature across all genres: Die Boek van Toeval en Toeverlaat by Ingrid Winterbach (Human & Rousseau). (See pictures in later story on the M-Net Prize, which Winterbach also won.)

Recht Malan prize for best English or Afrikaans nonfiction: Die groot avontuur by Leon Rousseau (Human & Rousseau)

M.E.R. prize for children’s illustrated books: Geraamte in die klas by Fanie Viljoen, with Karl Stephan as illustrator (Human & Rousseau)

M.E.R. prize for youth novels: Praise Song by Jenny Robson (Tafelberg)

Congrats to all the winners!