James Whyle

James Whyle grew up in the Eastern Cape in the Amatole Mountains and in the shadow of Ngqika’s Kop. In 1980 he was conscripted into the South African army. He was discharged on the grounds of having 'an immature personality with tendencies towards neurosis’. He did everything in his power to assist the authorities in arriving at this diagnosis. His first play, National Madness, 'a simple, subtle and frequently satirical portrait of the condition of militarism’, was based on his army experiences and was performed at the Market and Baxter theaters and later published in Market Plays. In the late ’90s, James co-founded the Take Away Shakespeare Company and directed productions of King Lear and Antony and Cleopatra, which played at the Hilton Festival, the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg and the National Arts Festival. James has written two radio plays for the BBC: Dancing with the Dead and A Man Called Rejoice. James’ screenplay, Otelo Burning, was chosen for the 2009 No Borders International Co-Production Market in New York. It was released in 2012. James was chosen by JM Coetzee as winner of the 2011 Pen/Studzinski short story award for The Story. His novel, The Book of War, won the MNet prize for best debut in 2013.