Great Expectations or Paradise Lost? The London Years of the Southern African Review of Books 1987–1991

The Southern African Review of Books (SARB/SAROB) was published in London from mid-1987 to sometime in the mid-1990s. It was modelled on the Times Literary Supplement and the London Review of Books, and its editorial team was largely based in the UK. It was inspired by the tantalising indications that South Africa's apartheid regime was either about to collapse or contemplating a hardening cycle of conflict and suppression. Its correspondence columns gave much space to the ‘Writing in a State of Emergency’ debate initiated by Michael Chapman, and its contributors and reviewers (many writing from the comparative safety of London) saw themselves as being on the front line of radical change in South Africa. All in all, SARB managed to gather a formidable array of political, academic and literary talent around it, and the survey now of the issues raised (or not raised) may offer an intriguing glimpse of, and inspire thoughtful reflection on, where we were two decades ago and where have we managed (or failed) to arrive.