This is a stunning collection of more than 100 portraits, in black and white, of writers from Africa and, in particular, South Africa. The chronological arrangement reveals the changing conditions and roles of writers from the 1960s to the present.

The most recent photographs were taken after the Pretoria Writers’ Conference in 2002, which provided landmark debates around the identity and role of writers currently living in South Africa.

A foreword by Keorapetse ‘Willie’ Kgositsile reflects on the early times, while short texts by more recent writers show the diversity of views held by writers living in contemporary South Africa.

George Hallett is a Cape Town-based photographer who has exhibited internationally.