Love

The personal and the political entwine in Love, where an undecided atheist, four times married, four times widowed and twice arrested and a dystopian future Johannesburg ruled by a fascist government, collide. Love plumbs the murkiest depths of the human soul to ask whether salvation lies at the altar of the divine, in overcoming the weaknesses of our lesser selves, or in our brief moments of romantic ecstasy. This new speculative novel is Nthikeng Mohlele’s most exploratory and conceptually rich work yet.

Novelist, playwright, entrepreneur and brand marketing and communications professional, Nthikeng Mohlele has authored six critically acclaimed novels and two short story collections. He dabbles in journalism and literary criticism and is the winner of the University of Johannesburg Main Prize for South African Writingin English for Pleasure, the K Sello Duiker Memorial Prize and was also long-listed for the Dublin International Prize. His latest work, The Discovery of Love, was published by Jacana Media and won the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Award 2022 for Best Fiction: Short Stories. His theatre writing credits include I Am a Woman and The Affairs of State. Mohlele’s work is taught at leading South African universities, including at his alma maters, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of South Africa. Mohlele’s other interests include music, photography, technology, film and design. He lives and works in Johannesburg.