South Africa and Zimbabwe

Abstract

Introduction: South Africa 2015 was a tumultuous year for South Africa with mass protests about corruption, increased student activism, police violence, xenophobia, the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall movements, disruptions in parliament, and more broadly a move away from rainbow nation rhetoric to an escalated awareness and anger over ongoing economic and race-related inequalities. This was also felt in the literary world as writers became increasingly vocal about socio-political concerns. Thando Mgqolozana took the Franschhoek Literary Festival to task for its predominantly white audiences, leading to calls to decolonize the literary establishment. The Time of the Writer Festival also made negative headlines when Z. P. Dala was assaulted after praising Salman Rushdie at a public reading; a reminder that global issues such as censorship affect local writers.Despite these challenges, writers continue to write and publish, with the bibliography showing the vibrancy of South African literature. There are new books by established authors as well as new voices emerging. The criticism shows a wide range of authors under discussion.The Ingrid Jonker Prize for a debut poetry collection went to Thabo Jijana for Failing Maths and My Other Crimes, with Matric Rage by Genna Gardini and The Attributes of Poetry by Elisa Galgut receiving judges' commendations. Vangi Gantsho, Eliza Kentridge, Nick Mulgrew, and Sihle Ntuli also produced impressive first volumes. Matthews Phosa has published in Afrikaans but Chants of Freedom is his first English collection. Athol Williams has published several books under the pseudonym A. E. Ballakisten but now has a collection Bumper Cars in his own name. He was the winner of the fifth Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award for his poem "Streetclass Diseases".Kobus Moolman has been announced as the winner of the American-based Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. Noteworthy new collections from established poets came from Isobel de Gruchy,