Suiker

Suiker (1958) by Hugo Claus is one of his best and most acclaimed dramas, masterfully blending language, naturalism, melodrama, and humor. In a sugar factory in northern France, five Flemish migrant workers await the end of the season. A love triangle between the cunning Max, the naïve Kilo, and Malou, a young woman, unfolds over a few days to a climax. The story symbolises the loss of paradise and the fleeting nature of dreams, the only way to endure harsh reality.

HP (Hennie) van Coller is an outstanding professor (emeritus) and research fellow at the University of the Free State. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including the well-known Perspektief en profiel. ’n Literatuurgeskiedenis (2016), and Etienne Leroux: Die rumoerige swart nar. ’n Huldiging (2023). He has received multiple awards, including the Gustav Preller Prize for literary scholarship, the Jan H Marais Prize, and the NP van Wyk Louw Medal from the South African Academy for Science and Arts.