The Near North

by Ivan Vladislavić

The Near North is a vivid account of life in Johannesburg in times of crisis. From the stony ridges of Langermann Kop in Kensington to the tree-lined avenues of Houghton, we follow the writer through the city's streets, meeting its ghosts and journeying through time and (often circumscribed) space, finding meaning in the everyday and incidental.

At once an echo of Ivan Vladislavić’s award-winning Portrait with Keys and an original work of intense acuity and quiet power, The Near North is both intimate and expansive, ranging from small domestic dramas to great public spectacles. Wryly playful at times, fiercely serious at others, it is certain to move and delight all who accompany the writer through its pages.

Genres: Nonfiction

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 19, 2024

About the author

Ivan Vladislavić is a novelist, essayist and editor. He lives in Johannesburg where he is a Distinguished Professor in Creative Writing at the University of the Witwatersrand. His books include The Folly, The Restless Supermarket, Portrait with Keys and Double Negative. Among his recent publications are Flashback Hotel, a compendium of early stories; The Loss Library, a reflection on writing; and 101 Detectives, a collection of new short stories. He has edited volumes on architecture and art. His work has won several prizes, including the University of Johannesburg Prize, the Sunday Times Fiction Prize and the Alan Paton Award for non-fiction. In 2015, he was awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for fiction by Yale University.

Reviews

[Gerhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite. Every Joburger needs to read this, and experience the beauty and brutality of this incredible city through Ivan and Minky's eyes, as well as its vibrant spirit of community and resilience.

[Alistair Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not quite sure how to review this. It’s a strange book. Fragmented and episodic, even for a flaneur story. Nothing like The Restless Supermarket, the only other Vladislavic that I’ve read (and loved). But I found it compelling all the same. Some of the vignettes tell a larger story, some don’t, but it’s a pleasure to spend some time in Ivan and Minky’s world. There’s plenty of pathos and insight in their observations. A nice bonus for me is that it all takes place in the neighbourhoods right next to where I grew up in Johannesburg, and which I never thought could hold any artistic interest, and this book proves that they can - it depends on how you observe the world.

[Laurice Taitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

A vexing book. The deep trauma and sense of loss at the heart of this book is displaced by a series of observations about the minutiae of a broken city that reminded me of the oily smudge left by a pigeon who flew into the writer’s window one day. The pigeon got away. The writing is polite and bloodless. And it made me yearn for the writer to experience meaningful contact, and to be moved beyond observation. I still rate his earlier work highly - The Restless Supermarket and his collections of short stories are quite brilliant - so will forgive The Near North.

[Daniela Bracha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see some complaining that the book is too fragmented, but I loved it. The sheer quality of the writing makes it a must-read!!

[Josh Slingers · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Neither am I walking on a blank page: in a city you are always in the given text, between the lines at best. So I still have the sense of finding a way. I start a conversation with the world around, pacing it out, not expecting it to go anywhere. There are few deep stories exchanged here, hardly any myths, it is mainly small talk and anecdotes. But still, I am walking a story and trying to walk into one, as if there are secret entrances into the past here, as there are everywhere, and chancing upon the password will make one spring open. And years from now, when some walker of the future opens the same door, perhaps I will step out again into the eternal present”.

[Anoushka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of this book - I live in Johannesburg and know many of the places he writes of. Then it didn’t really go anywhere. I’d see it now more as a series of vignettes. Still an enjoyable read, bit depressing how blasé he is about the decline in the country.

[Loraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only managed a few hours. Although observant, the book is fragmented and really much ado about nothing.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s something magical about reading a book that traces streets and places you’re deeply familiar with and makes acute observations about living in Johannesburg.