I will tell you what I know.
or what you think I should know.
Earthy yet musical, minimal yet gripping, Thabo Jijana’s debut collection of poems, Failing Maths and My Other Crimes, is a short masterclass of South African storytelling-in-verse. In this whirlwind of local history, contemporary culture, domestic angst and youthful nostalgia, Jijana exhibits a wisdom and emotional range beyond his years. Far from being stuck in years gone by, however, Failing Maths and My Other Crimes showcases not just a writer taking stock of a troubled past, but also a young man forging an identity to steel himself with against an uncertain future.
Thabo Jijana, born in 1988, is a rising star of South African literature. In 2011, he won the Anthony Sampson Foundation Award, while in 2014 he won the Sol Plaatje/European Union Poetry Award. The same year, Thabo published his first book, Nobody’s Business, a memoir. Born in eNgqushwa, Thabo now lives in Port Elizabeth, where he works as a writer.