My Books

At Large: Reviewing the Arts in South Africa

Common Ground, 2012

This collection of journalistic essays, reviews and interviews not only explores the role of the arts – and the challenges facing artists – in a country still completing its transition to democracy, but also asks provocative questions about a range of social and political issues. Informed by an awareness of South Africa’s complex cultural history/histories, At Large offers a snapshot (or, rather, a series of snapshots) of the arts in the country during the early years of the twenty-first century, providing insight into the production and reception of both ‘local’ and ‘global’ artistic phenomena.
Sport versus Art by Chris Thurman

Sport versus Art

Wits University Press, 2010

This is a collection of essays, commentaries, personal memoirs and humorous pieces about a fraught relationship at the heart of South Africa’s public life. The book brings together a range of contributions from sport and arts journalists, arts practitioners, academics and other writers.

Guy Butler by Chris Thurman

Guy Butler

University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2010

Guy Butler was a substantial literary figure and 'cultural politician' in South Africa over the second half of the twentieth century, yet his is not a familiar name to the majority of South Africans and – where he is known – Butler remains a problematic figure. This book combines biographical insight with criticism of Butler's publications in various genres to offer a balanced explication of his life and work.

Text BITES by Chris Thurman

Text Bites

Oxford University Press, 2009

This anthology is aimed at secondary school learners who have English as an additional language. It introduces learners to the features of various genres through a range of South African writers. Questions and writing activities accompany the texts, along with a wealth of supplementary material

Chris Thurman - photo by Victor Dlamini

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