Updated version, August 2022.
South Africa is simply magnificent. So far, I drove 60,000 kilometres through Southern Africa. At times, I drove all the way to Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe (only to Victoria Falls). I start all my road trips in Cape Town. I have seen where Rooibos tea grows. I learned about the importance of biodiversity. I visited many of South Africa’s National Parks, and the last true wilderness of the country, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. I fell in love with penguins. I got sandblasted by the infamous South Easter and got to know the tablecloth. I jumped into the icy cold Atlantic, if only briefly. 60,000 kilometres of adventure and joy. Do you wonder how I know how many kilometres I did so far? My secret is that I write it all down. There is still so much I would love to see. It feels as if I will never have the time to experience and see everything I dream about. If I can’t go there, I read. I go on a Verbatim Journey.
Books – Reading - Education
Nelson Mandela said that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” I can only agree. The more we know the better. The more we read the better.
Nothing in this world is ever black and white. The more we educate ourselves the better life gets. You can have an opinion on something only when you gather enough information first. How else can you understand what is going on around you? When I visit a place, I like to read about it. Not only the papers and facts but also fiction, prose, and even cookbooks. I read and browse about everything and everyone to get the bigger picture. If I mix this information with the ones getting from talking to people in South Africa, I feel well prepared. I can build an opinion and can participate in a discussion. I can’t stand empty words thrown into thin air just to say something.
What are you about to discover on location in South Africa?
One day, I was at Daunton in London. You know this Edwardian bookstore on Marylebone High Street? It is one of the prettiest bookshops. I realized I have an awful lot of books about South Africa. There wasn’t a single book about South Africa in their travel section that I hadn’t on my bookshelf. I love reading. I love South Africa. After I got over my happy nerdy moment, I put together my reading list for South Africa. These books saved me from being ignorant on my travels to South Africa. Right. Not everyone who plans a two-week trip to South Africa will read all recommended books before heading out there. The list of books gives you a choice and you might get inspired. The books and stories definitely give you a good first taste of what you are about to discover on location in South Africa. In times when we cannot travel, we can always go on a Verbatim Journey to South Africa.
All books are tried and tested by me. Word of warning: If you read all of these and travel to South Africa you will lose your heart to this place forever.
Go on a Verbatim Journey - 65 books that transport you to South Africa
|
Title |
Author |
1 |
491 Days |
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela |
2 |
A City Imagined |
Stephen Watson |
3 |
A Dry White Season |
André Brink |
4 |
A Thousand Tales of Johannesburg A City Novel |
Harry Kalmer |
5 |
Africa the legends live on |
Jan Roderigues |
6 |
Beethoven was one-sixteenth black |
Nadine Gordimer |
7 |
Before Mandela was Mandela |
Eric Miyeni |
8 |
Begging to be black |
Antjie Kroog |
9 |
Blood Safari |
Deon Meyer |
10 |
Born a Crime |
Trevor Noah |
11 |
Cape Town Stories |
Madeleine Barnard |
12 |
Childhood |
Adrian Hadland |
13 |
Cobra |
Deon Meyer |
14 |
Come Sunday |
Isla Morley |
15 |
Cry the beloved country |
Alan Paton |
16 |
Dark Star Safari |
Paul Theroux |
17 |
Dead before Dying |
Deon Meyer |
18 |
Disgrace |
J.M. Coetzee |
19 |
Down 2nd Avenue |
Es'kia Mphahlele |
20 |
Dreamforest |
Dalene Matthee |
21 |
Fiela's Child |
Dalene Matthee |
22 |
From Aardvark to Zebra. Secrets of African Wildlife |
Peter Joyce |
23 |
From Joburg to Jozi. Stories about Africa’s infamous city |
Edited by Heidi Holland and Adam Roberts |
24 |
Gang Town |
Don Pinnock |
25 |
Gem Squash Tokoloshe |
Rachel Zadok |
26 |
In the Heart of the Country |
J.M. Coetzee |
27 |
In the words of Nelson Mandela |
A little pocketbook |
28 |
Into Africa |
Martin Dugard |
29 |
July's People |
Nadine Gordimer |
30 |
Karoo Boy |
Troy Blacklaws |
31 |
Karoo Keepsakes |
Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais |
32 |
Karoo Kitchen |
Sydda Essop |
33 |
Khayelitsha |
Steven Otter |
34 |
Long Walk to Freedom |
Nelson Mandela |
35 |
Long Way Down |
Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman |
36 |
Martha |
Winnie Rust |
37 |
Modern South African Stories |
Stephen Gray (edited by) |
38 |
My Son's Story |
Nadine Gordimer |
39 |
On the Other Side of Shame |
Joanne Jowell |
40 |
Panorama |
Pieter Dyrk Uys |
41 |
Philida |
André Brink |
42 |
Postcards from Soveto |
Mokone Molete |
43 |
Praying Mantis |
André Brink |
44 |
Recipes for Love and Murder – A Tannie Maria Mystery |
Sally Andrew |
45 |
Red Dust |
Gillian Slovo |
46 |
Return to Paradise |
Breyten Breytenbach |
47 |
Sala Kahle, District Six |
Nomvuyo Ngcelwane |
48 |
Sea Mountain, Fire City |
Mike Nicol |
49 |
Somewhere Over the Rainbow |
Gavin Bell |
50 |
Sorry, not Sorry |
Haji Mohamed Dawjee |
51 |
South Africa. A traveler’s literary companion |
Edited by Isabel Balseiro |
52 |
South African Fact Book |
Denise Slabbert, Pat Hopkins, Jabulile Bongiwe Ngwenya |
53 |
The Covenant |
James A Michener |
54 |
The Day I Died |
Thembelani Ngenelwa |
55 |
The Healing Land |
Rupert Isaacson |
56 |
The Lost World of the Kalahari |
Van der Post |
57 |
The Madonna of Excelsior |
Zakes Mda |
58 |
The Only Black at a Dinner Party |
Eric Miyeni |
59 |
The Satanic Mechanic – A Tannie Maria Mystery |
Sally Andrew |
60 |
The State of Africa |
Martin Meredith |
61 |
The Wilderness Family |
Kobie Kruger |
62 |
Troublemakers |
Margaret Renn, Anton Harber |
63 |
The Promise |
Damon Galgut |
64 |
Death on the Limpopo |
Sally Andrew |
65 |
Milk Tart Murders |
Sally Andrew |
Make sure you are not responsible for the death of your local bookshop
Please buy all books from your local bookshop. No one wants to live in a town centre without independent shops. It is in our hands. Each one of us can vote with our purse. There is no need to support online giants when every one of us can support their own community. You won't find any links in this article to online shops. These book recommendations are purely made out of love for reading and travelling and understanding different cultures. Make sure you are not responsible for the death of your local bookshop. It sounds drastic, but let's face it, it is true. Support local.
South Africa on film
Films to watch before you visit South Africa.
What can you see and do in South Africa?
Travel South Africa. Knysna Travel Guide for First Time Visitors.
UNESCO Heritage listed De Hoop Nature Reserve - Guide for First Time Visitors.
Attractive Coastal Towns in the Western Cape Province.
12 photos that make you desperately fall in love with South Africa.
Knysna and Dolphins: Eco-labelled Marine Boat Cruise.
Creative South Africa. Beautiful things you would want to buy on vacation in Cape Town.
9 Best Malaria-Free National Parks In South Africa.
Travel South Africa. Visiting a Rooibos Tea Farm inthe Western Cape.
Discover the Zambezi Region: Road Trip South Africa- Namibia - Botswana.
Travel South Africa: 8 magnificent things to do inthe Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
From
Berlin with love