Reviewed by Lucille Davie
Johannesburg came about because of gold. Many histories of the city have been written, from a range of different perspectives – its architecture, its famous personalities, its art collections, its townships, its photographers, and its pioneering spirit. Here are short reviews of some of the books that capture what this vibrant city is all about.
Art and Justice – the art of the Constitutional Court of South Africa(David Krut Publishing, 2008)
Justice Albie Sachs said he wanted this book to be "the best art book in the world". I don't know if it is or not but it certainly is beautiful. Photographer Ben Law-Viljoen has done a magnificent job of capturing the diverse collection of the court. Sachs takes a personal pride in the collection, with just reason – he has played a big role in assembling the collection which complements perfectly the stylish building that is the court.
In the footsteps of Gandhi – an illustrated history of Johannesburg's Linksfield Ridge and environs - Alkis Doucakis (Colors, 2007)
This is a well-researched look at the interesting area of Linksfield Ridge, where Mahatma Gandhi and his architect friend Hermann Kallenbach used to live. Although somewhat dry, the book doesn't follow a chronological history but just picks up on interesting facts and personalities of Linksfield. The author has assembled some interesting historical pictures of the area which give a good sense of the growth of the suburb. (Phone 011 402 7141 to buy the book)
Postcards from Soweto - Mokone Molete (Jacana, 2007)
This is a down-to-earth collection of 25 short recollections of growing up in Soweto, told with affection and humour. Molete writes about his father, his friends, his teachers, the village idiot, jailbirds, pub crawlers, and endearing characters like Abuti Beef and Pick Six. It's an often violent upbringing, with beatings by parents and teachers commonplace. Molete says that 60 percent of the events are true. The remaining 40 percent make the stories very enjoyable.
Tales from Jozi - photographs by Jurgen Schadeberg (Protea, 2007)
Sharing a room with two others, playing chess in Joubert Park, playing golf in Kensington, children "playing" on a dirty stairway, elegant book launches at the Constitutional Court, strip clubs, crumpled beds, glitzy night clubs, flashy cars at an auto show . . . just some of the images Schadeberg captures in this city of extremes. The book is the result of an approach to Schadeberg by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, asking him to record the living conditions of inner city dwellers as evidence to defend the tenants against eviction. The photographs are interspersed with well-written, insightful articles. The many unsmiling faces looking out from the photographs attest to the hard lives of many Joburgers.
Portrait with Keys, Joburg & what-what - Ivan Vladislavic' (Umuzi, 2006)
This book consists of one man's leisurely and idle train of thought through living life in Joburg. Written in an easy, non-judgemental style, Vladislavic' clearly enjoys the city and its people and writes with affection of things distinctly Joburg: Max the gorilla, Hillbrow, the snow of 1981, the Marymount Nursing Home, the Gandhi house, David Webster's house in Eleanor Street, Lionel Abrahams, the security strike in Beyers Naude Square, Roberts Avenue in Kensington, and many other fleeting impressions, in 138 separate thoughts. An enjoyable, intriguing read.
Now listen here - the life and times of Bill Jardine - Chris van Wyk (STE Publishers, 2003)
In lively style Van Wyk recounts the story of Bill Jardine, rugby enthusiast, anti-apartheid activist, sports administrator, and passionate family man. Along the way the biography tells the story of Vrededorp and Pageview; Jardine's Portuguese origins on a farm in Craighall; and his significant role in helping to unite sporting bodies beyond 1994. The story is told with humour and affection, qualities that Jardine obviously had in abundance.
Uplifting the Colonial Philistine - Jillian Carman (Wits University Press, 2006)
Carman's very thorough and scholarly book on the genesis of the Johannesburg Art Gallery stands in a category of its own. Based on her doctoral thesis, Carman has unravelled in meticulous detail the creation of the gallery, focused around Randlord wife Florence Phillips and curator Hugh Lane. It contains over 100 reproductions of the original art collection (about half in colour), and reveals previously unknown and unexpected details about the characters involved in the story.
Light on the Hill, building the Constitutional Court of South Africa - Bronwyn Law-Viljoen (David Krut Publishing, 2006)
This is quite simply a beautiful book. Its 171 pages are filled with truly stunning photographs of the court from every possible angle, showing off what must be one of the world's most spectacular buildings. The photographs capture the many diverse spaces and complementary, warm materials used, as well as the lush textures in the garden. Sprinkled with comments from judges of the court, architects, builders and artisans involved in its construction, the book leaves you feeling almost a part of the planning and construction process. A selection of the architects' evolving sketches reproduced in the book make for an intriguing look into the heads of the architects and how the process developed.
Emerging Johannesburg - Richard Tomlinson et al (Routledge, 2003)
This book, by a range of academics and researchers, examines a new Johannesburg from several perspectives: race, democracy, citizenship, urban demographics, space and identity. These were themes that emerged from an international conference entitled Urban Futures, held in the city in mid-2000, and from which the book came about. The overriding impression one comes away with on reading the book is the huge dichotomy, post-1994, that still exists between rich and poor, indicating that the city still has a long way to go before all its residents feel the benefits of living in one of the continent's wealthiest cities.
Joburg! The passion behind a city (Affinity, 2006)
At 408 pages, with some 700 wonderful pictures and 100 articles, this coffee table book reflects the renewal – from infrastructure to social investment – that is happening in Joburg. It showcases the positive changes that people, either through their individual initiative or through the organisations in which they work, have brought about in this vibrant city. The pages are filled with stories of optimism, and creative and energetic people who make this city work.
Soweto '76, Reflections on the Liberation Struggle (Skotaville books, 2006)
This book, released to mark the 30th anniversary of 16 June 1976, captures the same sense as a visit to the Apartheid Museum: of being there on the day, dodging bullets and teargas, and carrying away dead classmates. It takes the reader through the range of emotions experienced in Soweto on the day, by means of poetry, oral testimonies, freedom songs, autobiographies, police files, a death toll list and a map. Replete with moving stories, it's not a book to be read in one sitting. You'll need to absorb the detail, think about the courage of those involved and reflect on how far the country has come since 1976.
Number Four – The Making of Constitution Hill (Penguin, 2006)
It is significant that a book recording the brutal history of the prison complex on Constitution Hill consists of dozens of different voices – it's a place that affected thousands of lives. The text is made up of the voices of ex-prisoners, architects, judges, heritage experts, city officials and politicians, and is written in an easy-to-digest style. The story takes the reader through the dark period of incarceration and pain into the new era of freedom and finding a new purpose for the precinct, all the while respecting the past. The wonderful photographs enhance the poignant story.
Chic Jozi, the Jo'burg pocketbook - Nadine Rubin & Nikki Temkin (Struik, 2005)
The authors have certainly done their homework with this book. Grab your copy for a very thorough look at everything chic in the city: where and how to de-stress, where to buy great flowers, the best caterers, second-hand book stores, butcheries, wallpapers, copper, belly-dancing, martial arts . . . and of course, eating and shopping, and jolling for all tastes. And for those with drooping sex lives, try the sensualist. Scattered throughout the 200-page illustrated book are chic tips and cheap thrills - very worthwhile. If you live in the northern suburbs, this funky book is a must for your back pocket.
Jo'burg - Guy Tillim (STE Publishers, 2005)
Dingy walls and beds, with shapes of sleeping people, seem to predominate in this photographic collection of inner city images by Guy Tillim. He captures another face of the city: new tenants and their hard lives in city blocks vacated in the 1990s by retreating whites. This concertina book is a teaser for an insightful exhibition that toured the country in 2005, and which picked up an award along the way. The photos were taken in 2004 but will remain the reality for city residents for a long time to come.
Johannesburg, the making and shaping of the city - Keith Beavon (Unisa Press, 2004)
Some 20 years of research have gone into this comprehensive document on the history of the city, the author a retired professor of geography from Wits University. You'll follow the establishment of the mining camp, the making of the townships, the apartheid era, through to the new Johannesburg in 2003, illustrated with maps, charts and tables. Told in a readable style, it's a must-have for serious students of the city's development.
I remember King Kong (The boxer) - Denis Hirson (Jacana, 2004)
If you grew up as a white person in South Africa in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, you'll delight in Denis Hirson's "I remember" reminiscences, captured in 130 pages of short statements like: "I remember Hush Puppies", "I remember Male Chauvinist Pigs", "I remember sardine tins with keys", "I remember the main fear: that a girl might fall pregnant", "I remember Thalidomide babies", and "I remember Engelbert Humperdink". The statements capture the naivete and innocence of a pre-internet, pre-Aids, and pre-high-tech age, and bring out mixed feelings: of nostalgia on the one hand, but also of the challenge of living in the 21st century, almost a different planet compared to life 50 years ago.
Johannesburg Circa Now - Terry Kurgan and Jo Ractliffe (2005)
This book is the culmination of a 2004 exhibition and interactive public project, with additional contributions from writers, teachers, architects, photographers and visual artists. The images make the book. They consist of insightful black and white photos and captions, colourful portraits and stunning panoramas of the city. Otherwise, there's an odd collection of articles, some of no relevance to Joburg. The main reason to buy the book is for its striking photographs of the city and its residents.
Johannesburg, one city, colliding worlds - Lindsay Bremner (STE Publishers, 2004)
Lindsay Bremner, professor of architecture at Wits University, wrote five essays for The Sunday Times in early 2002 for the Bessie Head Non-Fiction Fellowship Award (which she won), with the title 'Contemporary Johannesburg: cultures, spaces, identities'. Now, two years later, they're together in this quality publication (with French and German translations alongside), capturing, in her words, a particular moment in the city's history, but still relevant to this dynamic city. Told in eloquent style, the essays give the reader a gritty look at the city in the 21st century.
Soweto Inside Out - Edited by Adam Roberts & Joe Thloloe (Pengiun, 2004)
This book is a follow-up to "From Jo'burg to Jozi, stories about Africa's infamous city" but looking exclusively at the vibrant township of Soweto. The editors asked 47 writers and journalists, some local, some foreign, to write about their Soweto experiences, and the result is a lively look under the skin of the township. Not everyone loves the place, some hate it, but most - the late Aggrey Klaaste, Sam Nhlengethwa, Sandile Memela, Anthony Sampson, to list a few - love the place and although they've moved into the suburbs, are still regular visitors to Soweto, such is its pull.
People who have stolen from me - David Cohen (Picador Africa, 2004)
David Cohen takes the reader down Jules Street in Johannesburg, at the same time opening a window on democratic South Africa 10 years on. Cohen focuses on two friends who own Jules Street Furnishers and describes the challenges of dealing with defaulting customers, hiring former carjackers as repossession agents and a family member defrauding the business. They deal with these headaches with good humour, common sense and compassion. A useful study of a Joburg street and its fortunes.
Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, a childhood memoir - Chris van Wyk (Picador Africa, 2004)
A faithful native of Riverlea, where he still lives, Chris van Wyk invites the reader into the Johannesburg suburb of his childhood, where the community struggles to cope with the senseless cruelty of apartheid. They survive through faith in themselves, good neighbourliness and plenty of laughter. Van Vyk captures the wonderment and curiosity of a child growing up in these circumstances, told in a lively, insightful and heart warming style. A must-read for Joburgers.
All Under Heaven, the story of a Chinese family in South Africa - Darryl Accone (David Philip, 2004)
This is an absorbing tale of three generations of Chinese immigrants living in Johannesburg and Pretoria, told with compassion and enormous warmth. It recounts the difficulties faced in the gold mining town of the early 20th century, and later, in apartheid South Africa. The story moves between China and Johannesburg, and gives valuable insight into the story of one of the country's minorities, as well as a different angle on the history of Johannesburg.
When Johannesburg and I were young - Juliet Marais Louw (Amagi Books, 1991)
This is a charming child-eye's view of Johannesburg, from 1910 when the author was born. She traces her life around the city moving from suburb to suburb, and from school to school and on to Wits University. The author warns that some of her memories are a little dusty, but it's still a worthwhile read for a feel of a bygone time that appeared to move to another clock.
Gandhi's Johannesburg, birthplace of Satyagraha - Eric Itzkin (Witwatersrand University Press, 2000)
This informative 100-page book follows Mahatma Gandhi's journeys around Johannesburg at the turn-of-the century, and documents places where he stayed, worked and visited, his brushes with the law, his many friends and colleagues, his influence on fellow residents, and the incident that sparked off his Satyagraha or passive resistance policy. It's full of black and white pictures and illustrations, bringing Gandhi alive and making it easy to follow his movements around the city.
Johannesburg Style, Architecture and Society 1880s-1960s - Clive Chipkin (David Philip, 1993)
This excellent book, by a reputable and knowledgeable architect traces the history of different architectural styles in Johannesburg in an engaging and very readable style. Filled with hundreds of black and white photographs and drawings, it provides an informative history of the city and its people, tracing the cycles of construction and demolition that mark the city's growth from tent town to modern African city.
A Concise Historical Dictionary of Greater Johannesburg - Naomi and Reuben Musiker (Francolin, 2000)
This is a useful quick guide to the history of Johannesburg with a 17-page chronology of the city, and more than 500 alphabetical entries, written by two respected researchers. It covers the political and social history of the city up to the end of the 1990s, and also cultural development, including architecture, art, music and theatre. It's a useful starting point for any research on the city.
Johannesburg Portraits - Mike Alfred
(Jacana, 2003)
The author has chosen an unusual selection of well-known Johannesburgers to illustrate different shades of the city. In the 10 sketches the reader will learn about the quickly-changing scene of turn-of-the-century Joburg with Randlord Lionel and Florrie Phillips; or architect Hermann Kallenbach's association with Mahatma Gandhi (with the editors having some trouble deciding on the spelling of "Gandhi"); or lawyer Bram Fischer's brave struggle with the apartheid monster. The book also looks at contemporary Joburgers: ANC stalwarts Walter and Albertina Sisulu, palaeontologist and scientist Phillip Tobias, photographer Peter Magubane, ornithologist Geoff Lockwood, author and literary critic Lionel Abrahams, and diva Sibongile Khumalo. The pieces are of varying quality but they give some idea of the variety of personalities that have made up and do make up the vibrant melting pot that is Johannesburg.
From Jo'burg to Jozi, stories about Africa's infamous city - Heidi Holland & Adam Roberts (Penguin, 2002)
The editors asked 60 local and foreign journalists to write 1 000 words on Jozi, to hit the bookstores in time for the many visitors to the city attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August 2002. The result is a sparkling collection of very readable stories on people, love, architecture, motor cars, apartheid, Soweto and the pain and joy of living in this vibrant city. Royalties from the book go to charities assisting children affected by Aids.
Soweto - Peter Magubane (Struik, 2001)
Well-known photographer Peter Magubane has captured the many emotions of Soweto: anguish, happiness, tears, frustration, hard work, exhaustion, joy, elation. The book is jampacked with his mostly colour photographs, with text by well-known journalist Charlene Smith. It makes for a compelling study of the township and its people, leaving the reader with a pretty accurate feel for what life in Soweto is like.
Out of print books
These books are out of print but are usually available in the reference section of your local library.
Born in Soweto, inside the heart of South Africa - Heidi Holland (Penguin, 1994)
Heidi Holland ventures into the troubled pre-1994 Soweto to speak to the people of the township - young tsotsis, paramedics, school kids, shebeen owners, sangomas, caregivers and reformed criminals. The result is a book which is insightful and compassionate, leaving the reader with a sense of the overwhelming poverty and hardship Sowetans suffer daily, but also with a sense of their hope, resilience and will to survive. It makes for a compelling read.
Johannesburg One Hundred Years - a centenary publication (Chris van Rensburg Publications, 1986)
Published in 1986 to mark Johannesburg's centenary, this hardback volume is packed with delightful pictures illustrating the city's history. It covers the first pioneers in the area through to a look at the next 100 years. Scenarios for the future depend, according to the authors (eight city managers), largely on good leadership and vision, with no mention of dismantling apartheid, very much in evidence in 1986. Despite this limitation, the book is bursting with information about the city and its growth in the first 100 years.
Bosman's Johannesburg - edited by Stephen Gray (Human & Rousseau, 1986)
Johannesburg's most talented resident, Herman Charles Bosman, lived in the city in the 1940s and 50s. This is a collection of some of his short stories, in particular the ones that relate to the city. The collection offers three perspectives on Bosman's Johannesburg. The first, a selection of seven stories, chronicles the "Voorkamer" stories in which Marico characters make their way to "Joh'burg". The second perspective is a series of 11 essays on the experience of Johannesburg. The third section consists of three works: two incomplete drafts of longer stories, and a one-act play. It makes for absorbing reading and a different view of the city.
Johannesburg One Hundred, a pictorial history - Ellen Palestran (AD Donker, 1986)
This is a fairly comprehensive history of the city in just under 150 pages, taking the story up until the mid-1980s. It covers the usual growth highlights and other dramatic events, like the dynamite explosion, Halley's Comet in 1910, the Foster Gang and the 1922 Miners' Strike. Apart from a brief mention of Alexandra township and the 1976 strikes, it is very much a book of white people in the city, but is nonetheless a useful read, with lots of great black and white pictures.
Early Johannesburg, its buildings and its people - Hannes Meiring (Human & Rousseau, 1985)
This well-researched book is jampacked with wonderful drawings by the author. It starts with Randjeslaagte, the triangle of land on which the city started, and traces the development that occurred on the three large farms surrounding Randjeslaagte, the future city of Johannesburg. Every major building has it own paragraph, giving its history. The story is told in an engaging way, bringing to life the characters who built the early city. A useful Johannesburg reference book.
Johannesburg Firsts - Anna Smith (1976)
Anna Smith was appointed chief librarian of the city in 1960 and from then on and throughout the 1970s she produced several excellent reference books on the city. This book is a fun way to absorb the history of Johannesburg. You'll find out who was the first bootmaker, the first hotel-keeper, the first district surgeon, and the first comedian, amongst many others. Also, when the first fire occurred in the town, when the first dog show happened, the first earth tremor, the first dry cleaning establishment, and the first horseshoe factory. In addition, Smith's Johannesburg Street Names, a large tome, is a very thoroughly researched book looking at the city's street names, at the same time giving a very useful history of Johannesburg.
Meet me at the Carlton, the story of Johannesburg's old Carlton Hotel - Eric Rosenthal (Howard Timmins, 1972)
Johannesburg's first Carlton Hotel was built in 1906, modelled on the hotel of the same name in London, from an original idea by mining magnate Barney Barnato. The author, in a very readable style, writes a social history of the hotel, built on the corner of Eloff and Market Streets. In 1962 it was decided to demolish the hotel and build a new one, which went up in 1973, and it still stands on Commissioner Street. The book contains an interesting collection of black and white photographs which capture the elegance and popularity of the hotel.
City built on gold - LE Neame (CNA)
Drawn from research of newspapers and other sources, the author describes the social and economic conditions of a little mining camp that grew into the wealthiest city in Africa. It records the harsh conditions of the early town - the epidemics, riots, drought, famine, disasters and wars which marked the early history of the town, right through to how the city looked in 1959. The photographs are from The Star, the city's first newspaper.
Alexandra, I love you - a record of seventy years (Trident Press, 1983)
This book was commissioned by the Alexandra Liaison Committee, and, together with a great collection of black and white photographs, tells the poignant story of Alex's early history, and how it was saved from the apartheid government's bulldozers. Quotes from Wally Serote's poems on Alex give insight into why residents resolutely remain in the township, despite the hardships and poverty.
