THE CHRONICLES OF SHALOM COURT, a novel of the neo-colony, volume 1, book 1, Mnyamandawo (Place of Darkness)

401pp., paperback, Botsotso, Johannesburg, 2026

ISBN:9780639886770

The mutilated body of a middle-aged white woman is discovered in the basement of Shalom Court, an abandoned block of flats in Yeoville, Johannesbug, and during the investigation the web of stakeholders tied to the building- residents, owners, police, and local government officials - co-operate or clash, depending on their stake in its fate.

"Utilising brutal realism and satire, with touches of the fantastical, The Chronicles of Shalom Court delves into contemporary South Africa by cutting across cultures and classes. Its fictional universe is populated by every stratum of society, fleshed out in a blend of social encodings, tonal registers and individual eccentricities. Examining competing notions of sanity, the extremes of violence and gender relations, political and bureaucratic corruption, racist phobias and everyday struggles for survival, this is truly a work of the neo-colony." Andries Oliphant

Allan Kolski Horwitz grew up in Cape Town, and has lived in the Middle East, Europe and North America. Since returning to South Africa he has worked in the trade union and social housing movements as an organiser and educator and is currently co-ordinator of the Botsotso literature and theatre collective. He lives in Yeoville, Johannesburg.