André Philippus Brink (born 29 May 1935 in
VredeVrede a is town in the Free State province of South Africa that is the agricultural hub of a 100 km² region. Maize, wheat, mutton, wool, beef, dairy products and poultry are farmed in the region. The town was established here after a dispute arose regarding as to where to set up the town in 1863...
) is a
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
n
novelA novel is a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. He writes in Afrikaans and
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
and is a Professor of English at the
University of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa...
.
In the 1960s he and
Breyten BreytenbachBreyten Breytenbach is a South African writer and painter with French citizenship.-Biography:Breyten Breytenbach was born in Bonnievale, Western Cape, approximately 180 km from Cape Town and 100 km from the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas...
were key figures in the
AfrikaansAfrikaans is an Indo-European language derived from Dutch and thus classified as Low Franconian West Germanic. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, the United...
literary movement known as
Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into
Afrikaans literatureAfrikaans literature is literature written in Afrikaans – especially since the standardization of the Afrikaans language from 14 August 1875 to the beginning of the twentieth century.-See also:*:Category:Afrikaans-language writers...
the influence of contemporary
EnglishEnglish literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was born in Poland, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, V.S....
and
FrenchFrench literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak other traditional non-French languages. Literature written by citizens of other nations such as...
trends.
His novel
Kennis van die aand ("Knowledge of the night") (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.
Brink writes his works simultaneously in English and Afrikaans.
André Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy.
André Philippus Brink (born 29 May 1935 in
VredeVrede a is town in the Free State province of South Africa that is the agricultural hub of a 100 km² region. Maize, wheat, mutton, wool, beef, dairy products and poultry are farmed in the region. The town was established here after a dispute arose regarding as to where to set up the town in 1863...
) is a
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
n
novelA novel is a long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist. He writes in Afrikaans and
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
and is a Professor of English at the
University of Cape TownThe University of Cape Town is a public university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa...
.
In the 1960s he and
Breyten BreytenbachBreyten Breytenbach is a South African writer and painter with French citizenship.-Biography:Breyten Breytenbach was born in Bonnievale, Western Cape, approximately 180 km from Cape Town and 100 km from the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas...
were key figures in the
AfrikaansAfrikaans is an Indo-European language derived from Dutch and thus classified as Low Franconian West Germanic. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, the United...
literary movement known as
Die Sestigers ("The Sixty-ers"). These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into
Afrikaans literatureAfrikaans literature is literature written in Afrikaans – especially since the standardization of the Afrikaans language from 14 August 1875 to the beginning of the twentieth century.-See also:*:Category:Afrikaans-language writers...
the influence of contemporary
EnglishEnglish literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was born in Poland, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, V.S....
and
FrenchFrench literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak other traditional non-French languages. Literature written by citizens of other nations such as...
trends.
His novel
Kennis van die aand ("Knowledge of the night") (1973) was the first Afrikaans book to be banned by the South African government.
Brink writes his works simultaneously in English and Afrikaans.
André Brink's early novels were often concerned with the apartheid policy. His more recent work engages new issues raised by life in post apartheid South Africa.
Brinks' son, Anton Brink, is an artist.
Works
For a more comprehensive publication list, see the Afrikaans article on
André P Brink.
Novels
- The Ambassador
- Looking on Darkness
- An Instant in the Wind
- Rumours of Rain
- A Dry White Season
A Dry White Season is a film which was created in 1989 by Davros Films and Sundance Productions and distributed by MGM. It was directed by Euzhan Palcy and produced by Paula Weinstein, Mary Selway and Tim Hampton. The screenplay was by Colin Welland and Euzhan Palcy, based upon André Brink's novel...
- A Chain of Voices
- The Wall of the Plague
- States of Emergency
- An Act of Terror
An Act of Terror is a novel by Andre Brink, first published in 1991.-Plot summary:The novel deals with the lead-up to, execution and consequences of, a bungled assassination attempt whose target is the unnamed State President of South Africa...
- The First Life of Adamastor
Adamastor is a Greek-type mythological character invented by the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões in his epic poem Os Lusíadas , as a symbol of the forces of nature Portuguese navigators had to overcome during their discoveries...
(1993)
- On the Contrary
- Imaginings of Sand
- Devil's Valley
- The Rights of Desire
- Anderkant die Stilte (2002), translated as The Other Side of Silence
- Before I Forget (2004)
- Praying Mantis (2005)
- The Blue Door (2006)
- Other Lives (2008)
Memoirs
- A Fork in the Road (2009)