Margie Orford and Deon Meyer feature in Wordsetc crime special
March 19, 2010
Margie Orford is the cover girl of the 7th edition of South African literary journal, Wordsetc. The February 2010 issue, guest-edited by crime writer Joanne Hichens, continues to showcase the best of South African literature, focusing this time on crime fiction as central theme. This edition features an in-depth profile of the 'Queen of crime fiction' Margie Orford, and an appraisal of Michael Parkinson's new favourite author, Deon Meyer, who is credited with reviving the local crime thriller. Margie Orford is the author of the gripping Clare Hart series of thrillers. The third book in the series, BLOOD ROSE, described by Michael Connelly as 'wonderfully crafted and fully engrossing', was published in the UK by Atlantic on 1 March 2010, along with the paperback edition of LIKE CLOCKWORK, her first novel, 'a fantastic serial killer crime novel.'
Deon Meyer 'the King of South African crime' is the author of six nail-biting thrillers and a short story collection. THIRTEEN HOURS, Meyer's latest offering, will be published on 1 April 2010 by Hodder in the UK, and on 13 April 2010 by Grove Atlantic in the US and Random House in Canada.
Both Deon Meyer and Margie Orford will be in the UK for the London Book Fair, for which South Africa is the country of market focus, from 19-21 April 2010. They will be appearing together at the Travel Bookshop on Wednesday 21 April, details to be confirmed.
Praise for Margie Orford:
'Orford [is] top of the class of crime writing in South Africa. This is largely due to her ability to write with a sense of true humanity and yet maintain a pacy sexy style.'
-- Jennifer Crocker, Cape Times
'Margie Orford is to Cape Town what Val McDermid is to the north of England, capturing the seamier side of the Mother City: drugs, prostitution, gangs, police corruption and the clash between policing and political correctness.'
-- Anthony Egan, Mail & Guardian
'Margie Orford, queen of South African crime thrillers, has cracked it.'
-- Sue Grant-Marshall, The Weekender
Praise for Deon Meyer:
'Meyer is a writer to take seriously - the best crime writer out of South Africa."
-- Crime Time
'With Deon Meyer you can't go wrong. He's a writer whose work I admire, wait for and then devour.'
-- Michael Connelly
'I've been reading a new book by Deon Meyer, a South African, writer of crime fiction, set in his homeland. I love crime fiction and I'm always on the lookout for a new talent and Mr Meyer certainly fits the bill.'
-- Michael Parkinson, from his website
Some more information on the South Africa 2010: One Nation, Many Voices programme around London Book Fair.
For more information on the British Council programme around London (including Foyles, the British Library and the South Bank) and beyond, click here.
For the professional seminars, including South African authors, organised by London Book Fair at Earls Court during the Fair itself (19-21 April), click here.
In association with English PEN and the British Council, the PEN Literary Cafe located in Earls Court 2 will also host events. Foyles, the official LBF bookshop for 2010, is located within the Literary Cafe where authors who are interviewed will sign copies of their latest titles. For this programme click here.