Our favourite South African writers

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October 18, 2026

On June 2, 2026

South African writing is easy to start with and hard to put down. Try Zakes Mda for sharp, funny stories, and Nadine Gordimer for quiet, honest ones.

Ask us for a short novel first. A thin book gets you started.

Where to begin

Pick one writer and read two of their books. Lauren Beukes and Sindiwe Magona suit new readers well. Secondhand copies of older titles are often on our shelves, and we can order in the rest.

Close-up of a stack of South African fiction paperbacks and hardbacks on a pale shelf with a small bookmark and a readin

Stack of art and photography books topped with a glass and cork reading lamp against a soft misty window

Tall bookshelf of South African literature in a loft-style bookshop with a reading armchair, brick wall behind

Close-up of two stacks of hardcover books in blue and white cloth bindings with gold-edged pages, against a soft grey ba

Further down the list are JM Coetzee and Bessie Head, both regulars on reading lists and in our secondhand pile. Their books tend to move fast, so ask us to set one aside if you spot a gap on the shelf.

Newer voices worth finding

Keep an eye on writers like Niq Mhlongo and Yewande Omotoso too. They write about the country as it is now, and copies of their books do not sit on our shelves for long.

Cosy living room reading corner with a sofa, bookshelf full of books and stacked books on the coffee table

Zakes Mda – Eastern Cape Storyteller

Mda writes about small towns and big history with the same steady hand. His novels mix folklore with real events in a way that makes both feel closer than you expect. Start with a secondhand copy if you can find one.

Colourful independent bookshop reading corner with a curved white counter and book-filled shelves

Sindiwe Magona – Memoir And Truth

Magona writes about growing up in Gugulethu with honesty that never tips into sentiment. Her memoirs read like someone talking straight to you across a kitchen table. If you only read one South African memoir this year, make it hers.

Two armchairs in a pale blue room with a stack of books, a reading setup celebrating South African writers

Deon Meyer – Cape Crime Writer

Meyer's thrillers move fast and rarely waste a page, but it is Cape Town itself that keeps readers coming back. His detectives feel like people you could run into at the shops, which makes the tension land harder.

Two olive-green armchairs in a reading corner with a side table holding stacked books and a shelf of South African novel

Niq Mhlongo – Joburg Voices

Mhlongo writes Johannesburg the way people actually talk, sharp and funny and a little irreverent. His books are a good pick for a reader who wants something current rather than a classic.

"I came in looking for one Deon Meyer novel and left with four books I had never heard of. The staff at Leesnook clearly read what they sell, and their recommendations for local writers have never once missed for me."

"Sindiwe Magona's memoir changed how I read South African writing. I asked the shop for something similar and they handed me three more names I had never come across. That kind of recommendation is hard to find anywhere else."

"I grew up on Mda's novels and assumed I knew most of what was worth reading locally. A conversation at the counter at Leesnook proved me wrong in the best way, with two names I am still working through."

More Local Shelves

This list is only a starting point. South African writing covers far more ground than four names can hold, from poetry to food writing to history told through a single family. If you have read everything here already, come in and tell us what you loved. Secondhand copies of local writers turn up on our shelves more often than you might think.