Can Themba's understanding of black townships of Johannesburg was intuitive, complete and magical' in the words of the publisher of Drum, the magazine in which much of his work appeared. As the presiding spirit in "The house of Truth" as his Sophiatown matchbox was known, he was unquestionably one of the most important South African writers of the Fifties. The publication is one volume of a wider selection of his work that has previously been available.