Mark Gevisser books

Mark Gevisser is a South African author and journalist known for his non-fiction writing on politics, identity, and queer life in Africa and beyond.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mbeki and After: Reflections on the Legacy of Thabo Mbeki 2010 Buy
Granta 114: Aliens 2011 Buy
The Revolution Will Not Be Litigated 2022 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa 1995 Buy
Portraits of Power: Profiles in a Changing South Africa 1996 Buy
Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred 2007 Buy
A Legacy of Liberation: Thabo Mbeki and the Future of the South African Dream 2009 Buy
Lost and Found in Johannesburg: A Memoir 2014 Buy
Sue Williamson: Life and Work 2016 Buy
The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers 2020 Buy

Mark Gevisser is a South African journalist and author whose work focuses on politics, identity, and sexuality. His earliest book, Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa (1995), was one of the first collections to document queer experience in post-apartheid South Africa. He followed that with Portraits of Power (1996), a set of profiles on South African political figures during the country’s transition period.

His biography of Thabo Mbeki, published in 2007 and later expanded as A Legacy of Liberation (2009), drew on years of research and interviews to examine Mbeki’s political career and its effect on South Africa’s democracy. Lost and Found in Johannesburg (2014) took a more personal approach, blending memoir with the history of the city where Gevisser grew up.

The Pink Line (2020) is perhaps his most widely read book internationally. It traces the lives of people on both sides of new borders drawn around sexuality and gender identity, from Egypt to India to the United States. Gevisser’s writing is research-heavy and grounded in the lives of the people he profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Mark Gevisser written?

Mark Gevisser has written ten books across two series.

What was Mark Gevisser's first book?

Mark Gevisser’s first book is Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa, published in 1995.

What is Mark Gevisser best known for?

Mark Gevisser is best known for The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers (2020), which explores LGBTQ+ rights and lives across multiple countries, and his biography Thabo Mbeki: The Dream Deferred (2007), a detailed account of the former South African president.

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