DAVID ROBBINS BIOGRAPHY

David Robbins is a writer who has published eighteen books, including travel, history, biography, fiction and socio-political analysis. In addition, he has written hundreds of articles on subjects ranging from culture and the arts to the major development issues confronting the developing world. His journalism has been published in leading South African newspapers, as well as South African, British and American journals. His special focus areas include housing, urbanisation, local government, education, transport, economic development and health.

He has travelled extensively in Africa. He has won South Africa's most coveted literary award, the CNA prize, as well as numerous awards for his journalism. Most recently, he was short-listed for the Via Afrika – Recht Malan non-fiction award. On the practical side, he founded the Apollo Development Association, one of the most successful community-based development projects in the Northern Cape. He is also serving his third term on the Council of the William Humphreys Art Gallery in Kimberley. He partly owns a close corporation, DGR Writing & Research cc (which includes the  small publishing house, Porcupine Press) and is a member of the board of The Development Connection, a Section 21 company devoted to local economic development and the use of culture as a social animator.

PUBLICATIONS

A: Contributions in books

• Edendale Hospital. Chapter in Pietermaritzburg 1838-1988: a new portrait of an African City. University of Natal Press and Shuter & Shooter: 1988.
• Black townships and broken heads. Chapter in Photo92. The British Journal of Photography: 1992.
• A welcome indirect boost for SA health, Looking for that healthy balance, Paying price of national health, Blueprint for health-care revolution. Inserts into Society, Health and Disease. Ravan Press: 1996.
• Organisation and management: public sector. (Co-authored with Professor David Power) Chapter in South African Health Review 1996. Health Systems Trust & Kaiser Family Foundation: 1996

B: Sundry publications

• HEALTH SERVICES DEVELOPMENT UNIT: a decade in review. Health Services Development Unit, Johannesburg: 1996.
• AGINCOURT: a district health demonstration site. Health Systems Trust, Durban: 1997.
• LEARNING THE HARD WAY: lessons from the Urban Foundation experience 1976 - 1994. The Urban Foundation and H F Oppenheimer: 1997.
• EQUIP: the education quality improvement programme. National Business Initiative: 1997.
• AIDS RESOURCE BOOKLET FOR JOURNALISTS. Department of Health and Beyond Awareness Campaign: 1998.
• EDUCATION PATHFINDERS: a history of the Joint Education Trust. JET: 2001.

C: Published books

• INSIDE THE LAST OUTPOST. A socio-political analysis of KwaZulu/Natal. Shuter & Shooter: 1985
• THE 29th PARALLEL. A South African journey. Shuter & Shooter: 1986, 1987. Penguin: 1990. Winner of 1986 CNA Literary Award.
• WASTELAND. Johannesburg in its centenary year. Lowry Publishers: 1987.
• THE WALL & OTHER STORIES. Short fiction. Jonathan Ball Publishers: 1989.
• DRIVING SOUTH. A journey from the Limpopo to Cape Agalhas. Southern Books: 1993.
• THE BLUE TRAIN. A guide to South Africa's luxury train. Viking: 1993.
• ASPECTS OF AFRICA. Travel in 10 sub-equatorial African countries. Viking: 1995. Penguin: 1996.
• KEITH ALEXANDER: HIS TIME & PLACE. Biography. Jonathan Ball: 2000
• SIEGE OF KIMBERLEY & BATTLE OF MAGERSFONTEIN. History. Ravan Press: 2001.
• DURBAN: IMPRESSIONS OF AN AFRICAN CITY. Travel. Porcupine Press. 2002.
• ROEDEAN ONE HUNDRED YEARS 1903 - 2003. (A history of this famous private school for girls in Johannesburg). Jonathan Ball Publishers: 2003.
• AFTER THE DANCE. Travels in a democratic South Africa. Published by Jonathan Ball in April 2004.
• DISCOVERING FIRE. Short fiction. Porcupine Press: 2005 & 2009.
• ON THE BRIDGE OF GOODBYE: The Story of South Africa's Discarded San Soldiers. Jonathan Ball. 2007.
• ROOTED. Short fiction. Porcupine Press: 2009. (previously THE WALL & OTHER STORIES. Jonathan Ball Publishers: 1989)
• BEYOND THE BILLBOARDS: THE LOVELIFE STORY. Porcupine Press: 2010.
• PRIVATE EXCAVATIONS. Partial Auto-Biography. Porcupine Press: 2010.
• WRITING FOR SALVATION. Partial Auto-Biography. Porcupine Press. 2010.