Jeremy Boraine

I am the publishing director for Jonathan Ball Publishers. I publish fiction and non-fiction in South Africa with a focus on biography, politics and current affairs. Before that, I worked as the publisher for Penguin South Africa and spent part of my career in educational publishing and newspapers.

I joined Jonathan Ball Publishers as publishing director in 2006 to manage two imprints – Jonathan Ball and Sunbird Publishers. The former focuses largely on narrative non-fiction: biography, politics and current affairs with a smattering of fiction; the latter is an illustrated imprint aimed primarily at the tourist market.

Jonathan Ball Publishers, started in 1977, is well-known in South Africa for its pugnacious publishing and I thrive on publishing in a highly politicised society.

When I’m not buried in a manuscript or in the office, I can be seen racing along the scenic roads of Cape Town on my bicycle.

Our first day was very relaxed – a mere 18 individual presentations, 16 from the fellows and two about the German publishing industry. With each presentation, I couldn’t help but think, “I want to visit THAT country!” With our brains well and truly filled, we set off for the centre of Frankfurt for a literary tour in the rain. It wasn’t long before we settled in a traditional German restraurant for apple wine and pork. Well, our side of the table settled for large chunks of pork, or was it chicken? Everyone was extremely well behaved with much polite conversation about national drinks: “typical man-talk” as someone put it, something that puts her to sleep. And so it is to bed we all go, ready for whatever  tomorrow holds.