FRESHLY PRESSED
The President
A spicy new political thriller by Xander Beattie.
When a salacious fictional story about the nation’s president is published, the ruling party and its supporters are enraged. As pressure grows for the story to be erased, its young author flees into hiding, carrying with him an explosive secret — and plans for revenge.
Deftly plotted and gorgeously told, The President is a nail-biting exploration of bigoted backlash against provocative art. Set in South Africa in 2012, Xander Beattie’s novel is painfully relevant to our contemporary moment, where — in too many places around the world — powerful demagogues scapegoat the marginalised, imperil human rights and brutally suppress artistic expression.
LIMITED EDITION
Collectable culture
A book and print.
Published by PRONK in 2025, the limited artist edition of The President was printed and hand-bound by PULP Paperworks in Johannesburg. The book was designed by Catarina Pereira of Voodoo Voodoo studio in Berlin.
The President comes with a fine art print by the infamous South African artist Brett Murray. Entitled All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go, the artwork was printed on Risograph at Dream Press in Cape Town.
Proceeds from the sale of both go to the Pride Shelter Trust. Based in Cape Town, this is the first formal haven in Africa providing short-term accommodation to LGBTQI+ folks during crisis periods.
Get your hands on The President.
Now available to order online!
MEET THE AUTHOR
Xander Beattie
Impactful, immersive and exquisite storytelling meets nuanced and razor-sharp insights about South Africa’s fraught political and cultural milieux.
Xander Beattie is the fiction writing alter ego of Alexander Matthews who started out his media career in London as an assistant to MONOCLE’s editor-in-chief, Tyler Brûlé, and later served as the magazine’s Southern Africa correspondent for several years.
Running the gamut of politics, culture, the environment and travel, his other bylines include the BBC, Mail & Guardian and Business Day. Born in Cape Town (South Africa) in 1988, he has written widely for media, business and non-profits, though fiction is his first (and most enduring!) love.
Xander lives with his husband, two cats and hundreds of books in a remote cabin in Northern California. Subscribe to a swimming pool library, his newsletter, for (very) occasional notes on swimming, reading, nature and more.
Stockists
South Africa
PULP Paperworks, Johannesburg (online and in-store)
United Kingdom
The Common Press, London
United States
There are a handful of book+print combos still available stateside. You can also buy just the book. Outside of the US and SA? Email to enquire about purchasing a copy that can be posted to you
Frequently Asked Questions
150 copies isn’t very many. Will there be future editions?
Yes, later in 2025, PRONK will be publishing another edition of The President (a pocket hardback that will be available internationally). An eBook version is in the works, too.
Why is The President more expensive than a “normal” book?
Two reasons, both of them (in our view, admittedly) excellent!
- This is a collectable, hand-crafted work of art. Only 150 copies of the first edition of this novel are available for purchase. Striking details abound, from the exposed spine’s kettle stitching to the delicious embossed foil cover. The book also comes with a fine art print by Brett Murray (signed by the artist).
- It’s a fundraiser for a fantastic cause. The proceeds from sales of the book and print are going to the Pride Shelter Trust, a life-changing sanctuary for queer folks in dire need of one.
When is the next launch?
The Pocket Hardback edition will be launched in London (UK) on Sunday 7 September 2025 at The Common Press (19.00-21.00 GMT). For a glimpse of the Artist Edition’s Cape Town, Joburg and San Francisco launches, head over to our blog, Marginalia.
What comes next for PRONK?
The President is just the start. As a little publisher with big ambitions, we intend to bring more beautiful print objects (including books, zines and pamphlets) into the world in the years to come. Find out more about PRONK here.
