The Interpreters - A landmark collection of South African creative nonfiction launches

South African nonfiction takes centre stage with the release of The Interpreters: South Africa’s New Nonfiction (Soutie Press, 2025), the first anthology dedicated to gathering the finest examples of creative nonfiction written in, or about, South Africa. This collection of 33 outstanding works captures a living tradition of South African storytelling: sharp, honest, vibrant, and often hard to find. 

Edited by award-winning writers Sean Christie and Hedley Twidle, The Interpreters is a one-of-a-kind collection featuring some of the country’s most celebrated literary voices, including Nobel Laureate J. M. Coetzee, Njabulo S Ndebele, Rian Malan, Bongani Madondo, Lin Sampson, Jonny Steinberg, Mark Gevisser, and Antjie Krog. Alongside these established writers, the anthology introduces powerful contributions from a new generation of writers such as Bongani Kona, Zanele Mji, Kimon de Greef, Julie Nxadi, Lindokhule Nkosi, and Anna Hartford. 

Unusually for an anthology of this nature, the collection also showcases superb examples of graphic nonfiction by iconic practitioners like Anton Kannemeyer and Mogorosi Motshumi. 

Emerging alongside South Africa’s transition out of apartheid, the tradition of creative nonfiction was driven by editors and journalists seeking new ways to capture the country’s complex realities. Yet despite its richness, this form has historically lacked a consistent home, appearing sporadically across newspapers, magazines, journals, and blogs. The Interpreters addresses this gap, assembling the best of South Africa’s New Journalism tradition into one volume for the first time. 

“Finding good creative nonfiction in South Africa has been a historically difficult task, as no single publication or platform has consistently sustained this sort of writing. But incredible pieces emerge from time to time, their rarity adding to the reading experience," says Christie. “We have been finding, sharing and discussing these works as colleagues and friends for decades,” says Twidle. The Interpreters is the result of this shared fascination. 

For anyone interested in post-transition South Africa, The Interpreters: South Africa’s New Nonfiction is essential reading.