In memoriam Johann de Lange appears a year after his death and honours him as one of Afrikaans’s great poets. The volume includes Johann Lodewyk Marais’s monograph on their lifelong friendship and their conversations about poetry and literature. A collection of essays and shorter pieces sheds light on lesser-known aspects of De Lange’s life and work.
The second part of the book presents 42 elegiac poems by Joan Hambidge – emotional, reflective works rich in symbolism, metaphor and intertextual references, particularly to De Lange and Van Wyk Louw. The book serves as an intimate tribute to a poet who left a profound mark on Afrikaans literature and which Hambidge describes as a “yellow jersey book”.
Presented by NALN.
The poet Johann Lodewyk Marais was born 70 years ago in Hillbrow, but grew up on the farm Sans Souci in the Harrismith district, where he became fluent in Sotho. As a farm child, he developed a deep love for nature. He began reading avidly in high school, and his first poem was published in Die Vaderland while he was in Grade 11. His first poetry collection, Die somer is ’n dag oud, was published in 1983 and awarded the Ingrid Jonker Prize in 1984. His work has been highly praised and is often described as “sensitive to nature.” He has also written travel books and biographies.
Presented by NALN.
Stella Blakemore was born 120 years ago near Lindley. She is known as a writer of school stories that, especially in earlier years, gained her loyal readers among boys and girls. Her best-known works are the Maasdorp and Keurboslaan series. For the Keurboslaan series, she used her Afrikaans grandfather’s name – Theunis Krogh. The series has been reprinted numerous times and remains popular to this day. Blakemore published around 50 books and made a remarkable contribution to Afrikaans youth literature.
Presented by NALN.
