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An introduction is presented in which the guest editor discuss the theme of the issue, different genres and aesthetics in the African literature, and African writers as bold and masters of their craft.

The article talks about crime fiction written in Afrikaans since the end of South Africa's apartheid regime in 1994. Topics discussed include portrayal of police officers and crime investigators as sympathetic protagonists; Deon Meyer as the only internationally best-selling Afrikaans crime-fiction writer and translation of Meyer's books into several languages.

A review is offered for the InterKontinental, a specialist bookstore focused on literature from Africa and its global diaspora, located in Berlin, Germany.

The article highlights the work of several African women poets who are modifying the way poetry is read and engaged in English. It provides a brief background of the establishment of the African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) by the author and several others including poet and actor Kwame Dawes. Information is also presented on several African women poets including Ghanaian writer Ama Ata Aidoo and Aracelis Girmay.

The article focuses on the English literary works of sub-Saharan Africans in the West. It cites that African writers born in the 1940s and 1950s respond differently from those born after the 1960s and those born abroad. It is noted that they are likely to compare their native African environment with the Western environment and that they view their country with a sense of nostalgia. It also discusses some of their works as well as their insights on globalization.

Focuses on the literary works of author J. M. Coetzee, which discussed the social problems in South Africa. Overview of the book "Disgrace", which dealt with the collective mood of South Africa's white population at the end of the 20th century; Information on the novel "Life & Times of Michael K."; Discussion of the book "The Heart of the Country," a novel on postcolonial violence.

Examines the development of literature in Lesotho. History of the country; Major centers of learning in the country; Features of the works of Scottish explorer Andrew Smith in the country; Assessment of the Lesotho literature in French.

Discusses the implications of the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president of South Africa for South African literature. Consideration of the inauguration as a turning point for South African literature; Creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which aims to provide a public forum for the assembly and mediation of a public historical record.

Examines South African literary history in the 1960s and exiles' literary situations through the works of exiled South African poet Arthur Kenneth Nortje. Birth, education, career, exile and death of Nortje; Nortje's struggle to produce usable imaginative landscapes that compensate for the experience of dislocation and political isolation; Comments on Nortje's literary works.

Examines the role of the historical novel in South African literature. Reviews of major historical novels in South Africa; Comments on several historical narratives; Textualization of history in South African literature; Interrogation of history in South African fiction; Question of reducing history to storytelling.

Discusses various aspects characterizing early Afrikaner literature in South Africa. Aspects characterizing the heroic resistance against invaders; Types of heroes celebrated by African poetry; Statement that Afrikaans literature has shed the curse of Europeanism in literature; Growth of oral literature and fighting literature.

Examines the work of African writer Werewere Liking. Liking's popularity in the francophone community for her novels and plays; People's rituals of healing, initiation and death as theoretical base for Liking's writings and personal philosophy; Interpretation of Liking's theater; Thematic and structural importance accorded to rencontre in Liking's texts.

Discusses the writing style of J. M. Coetzee. Impact of the author's writings on the South African literature; Impact that his life in South Africa has had on his writing; Reactions of South African readers to his novels "Dusklands" and "Disgrace."

Discusses the multilingual context of literature in South Africa. Need to conceptualize culture in a way that the multilingual reality of South Africa and its consequences for the production of literature can be seen for its rich resourse; Concentric identities; Language situation in the country; Mainstream-and-tributaries as a concept for culture in the South African case.

The author offers information on Mia Couto, an African writer and winner of the 2014 Neustad International Prize for Literature. Topics covered include the reasons the juries, including Ethiopian-Italian author Gabriella Ghermandi, nominated Couto for the 2014 Neustadt Prize, the advice given by Couto to student writers during his visit at the University of Oklahoma in October 2014 and an overview of Couto's essay entitled "What Africa Does the African Writer Write About?"