Blake Friedmann authors Henrietta Rose-Innes, Deon Meyer and Margie Orford are featuring in a series of South African events at London’s Travel Bookshop that tie in with this year’s London Book Fair for which South Africa is the country of market focus. Henrietta Rose-Innes, whose ‘admirably taut, clean prose’ has been praised by J M Coetzee, will discuss her work alongside fellow Caine Prize winner Brian Chikwava at 7pm on 15 April. Following the close of the fair on April 21 two of South Africa’s bestselling crime writers, Deon Meyer and Margie Orford, will be in conversation discussing their work and signing copies of their latest books.
 
Deon Meyer, who counts Sir Michael Parkinson amongst his fans, is the author of six suspense-filled thrillers and a short story collection, and has been credited with leading the new wave of crime thriller writing in South Africa. His latest novel THIRTEEN HOURS, a fast-paced hunt for a murderer set over thirteen fraught hours in Cape Town, has just been published by Hodder in the UK and is due for release in the US from Grove Atlantic and in Canada from Random later this month. Margie Orford is the author of the gripping Clare Hart series of thrillers.  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.'
 
Henrietta Rose-Innes is the author of two novels and the short story POISON, winner the 2008 Caine Prize for African writing. She is also shortlisted for the 2010 Willesden Short Story Prize for her story FALLING. Her new short story collection HOMING and a forthcoming novel were recently bought at auction in South Africa by Random House Struik’s Umuzi imprint, with HOMING scheduled for publication in July 2010 and the novel to follow in 2011.

Henrietta Rose-Innes will be reading her Willesden Prize shortlisted story FALLING alongside other finalists at a public event at the Charles Dickens Museum on Saturday 10 April. For more information on the prize see here

For a map showing the location of the Travel Bookshop click here

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, queen of South African crime thrillers, has cracked it.'
-- Sue Grant-Marshall, The Weekender

Praise for Deon Meyer:
 
'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

Praise for Henrietta Rose-Innes:
 
'Rose-Innes is a writer almost in the Virginia Woolf mould - lateral of mind and poetic in her style of narration.'
-- Leon de Kock, Sunday Times
 
'Henrietta Rose-Innes writes an admirably taut, clean prose...a welcome addition to the new South African literature.' 
-- J M Coetzee

Some more information on the South Africa 2010: One Nation, Many Voices programme around London Book Fair: 

South Africa is the Country of Market Focus for London Book Fair in April 2010 and a stellar array of Blake Friedmann authors will attend and take part in the South Africa 2010: One Nation, Many Voices programme. For fuller story see here.

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 Market Focus 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.

For more information on South African events at the Travel Bookshop see here.

For an overview of all London Book Fair events and seminars, and to search by day or type of event click here.

And for information and tickets for the Read SA charity 'Meet the Writers' dinner, on Thursday 22 April with tables hosted by various South African authors, including Imraan Coovadia, Henrietta Rose-Innes and Isobel Dixon, click here!