Antjie Krog, born October 23, 1952 in
KroonstadKroonstad is the third-largest town in the Free State province of South Africa, and lies two hours drive from Gauteng. In the 1991 census it had a population of 110,963...
,
Orange Free StateThe Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, is a prominent South African
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, academic and writer. In 2004 she joined the Arts faculty of the
University of the Western CapeThe University of the Western Cape is a public university located in the Bellville suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. It was established in 1960 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only...
.
Early life
Born into an
AfrikanerAfrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
family of writers, she grew up on a farm, attending primary and secondary school in the area. In 1970, at the height of John Vorster's apartheid years, she penned an anti-apartheid poem for her school magazine: Gee vir my 'n land waar swart en wit hand aan hand
vrede en liefde kan bring in my mooi land. Give me a land where black and white hand in hand
Can bring peace and love to my beautiful land. scandalising her conservative
AfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-speaking community and bringing the attention of the national media to her parents' doorstep:
In 1973 she earned a
BA (Hons)A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in English from the
University of the Orange Free StateThe University of the Free State is situated in Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, South Africa. The university also has a satellite campus in Qwaqwa that was, until 2003, part of the University of the North.-Academic Divisions:...
, and an
MAA Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in Afrikaans from the
University of PretoriaThe University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
in 1976. With a teaching diploma from the
University of South AfricaThe University of South Africa is a distance education university, with headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa. With approximately 300 000 enrolled students, it qualifies as one of the world's mega universities.-History:...
(UNISA) she would lecture at a segregated teacher’s training college for black South Africans.
Poet
Described by her contemporary
Joan HambidgeJoan Helene Hambidge is an Afrikaans poet, literary theorist and academic . She is without a doubt the most prolific poet in Afrikaans, controversial as a public figure and critic and notorious for her out-of-the-closet style of writing...
, as the
Pablo NerudaPablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean poet, diplomat and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. He chose his pen name after Czech poet Jan Neruda....
of Afrikaans, Krog would publish her first book of verse, Dogter van Jefta (Daughter of Jephta) at the age of seventeen. Within the next two years she published a second collection titled: Januarie-suite (January Suite). Since then she has published nine further volumes, one in English. Much of her poetry deals with love, apartheid, the role of women, and the politics of gender. Her work has been translated into English, Dutch and several other languages.
Journalist
Later, Krog would edit the now-defunct, independent Afrikaans journal
Die Suid-AfrikaanDie Suid-Afrikaan was a progressive Afrikaans-language monthly published in Cape Town....
, co-founded by
Hermann GiliomeeHermann Giliomee is an author of historical and political studies, former Professor of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town , President of the South African Institute of Race Relations and current Extraordinary Professor of History at the Stellenbosch University.He co-founded Die...
in 1984. On the strength of her work there, she was invited to join the
South African Broadcasting CorporationThe South African Broadcasting Corporation is the state-owned broadcaster in South Africa and provides 18 radio stations as well as 3 television broadcasts to the general public.-Early years:Radio broadcasting began in South Africa in 1923...
(SABC) by Pippa Green, head of radio news. For two years, reporting as Antjie Samuel, she contributed to the radio programme AM Live with items on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Of the commission she said:
If its interest is linked only to amnesty and compensation, then it will have chosen not truth, but justice. If it sees truth as the widest possible compilation of people's perceptions, stories, myths and experiences, it will have chosen to restore memory and foster a new humanity, and perhaps that is justice in its deepest sense.
When the TRC hearings were completed in 1997, Krog took up the post of Parliamentary Editor at SABC.
Prose writer
She is best known for her book
Country of My SkullCountry of My Skull is a 1998 nonfiction book by Antjie Krog primarily about the findings of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission...
, which chronicled the TRC. With Krog's reluctant permission, the book was later dramatized for the screen by Ann Peacock resulting in a film of the same name. Released in the United States as
In My CountryIn My Country is a 2004 English-language film directed by John Boorman, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche. The screenplay, written by Ann Peacock, was based on Antjie Krog's memoir Country of My Skull....
, it stars
Samuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
and
Juliette BinocheJuliette Binoche is a French actress, artist and dancer. She has appeared in more than 40 feature films, been recipient of numerous international accolades, is a published author and has appeared on stage across the world. Coming from an artistic background, she began taking acting lessons during...
. While the film was thought to have its "heart and politics in the right place" it was otherwise panned by the Washington Post as a "formula romance", in which Binoche fails at the Afrikaans accent and Jackson's character, Langston Whitfield, lacks credibility as a Post reporter.
A Change of Tongue, her second work of prose in English, recounts ten years of evolution after South Africa's first democratic elections. A post-modern blend of fiction, poetry, and reportage it explores the surprising and predictable changes that South Africans have made since abandoning apartheid. At times humorous, she weaves strands of autobiography with the stories of others to document struggles for identity, truth and salvation. The title of the book has political and private meanings: the diminishing role of Afrikaans in public discourse is reflected in her own flight into English as the vernacular of her work.
There was this goat, written with Nosisi Mpolweni and Kopano Ratele and published by KZN Press in March 2009, investigates the Truth Commission testimony of Notrose Nobomvu Konile.
Private life
She is married to architect John Samuel and has four children: Andries, Susan, Philip, and Willem; Three grandchildren: Anouk, Antjie and Jana.
Criticism
In February 2006, the poet
Stephen WatsonStephen Watson was a South African poet.Most of his poetry is about the city of Cape Town, where he lived most of his life. He was a professor in English at the University of Cape Town...
, writing in New Contrast, accused her of plagiarism. He claimed that she "lifted the entire conception of [The Stars say 'Tsau'] from [his] Return of the Moon", and that she also plagiarised from the work of
Ted HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
. Krog strongly denied the claims.
Poetry
- Dogter van Jefta (Daughter of Jephta) (1970)
- Januarie-suite (January Suite) (1972)
- Beminde Antarktika (Beloved Antarctica) (1974)
- Mannin (Difficult to translate: the name of Eve given in Biblical terms if Adam being "man", Eve was called "wo-man") (1974)
- Otters in Bronslaai (Otters in Watercress Salad) (1981)
- Jerusalemgangers (Jerusalem-goers) (1985)
- Lady Anne (1989)
- Gedigte 1989–1995 (Poems) (1995)
- Kleur kom nooit alleen nie (Colour never comes alone) (2000)
- Down to my last skin (2000)
- Met woorde soos met kerse (With words as with candles) (2002)
- The stars say tsau (2004)
- Body bereft (2006)
Poetry for children
- Mankepank en ander Monsters (Mankepank and other monsters) (1989)
- Voëls van anderster vere (Birds of different feathers) (1992)
- Fynbosfeetjies by Antjie Krog & Fiona Moodie (Fynbos Fairies) (2007)
Prose
- Relaas van 'n Moord (Relaying of a Murder) (1995)
- Country of my Skull (1998)
- A Change of Tongue (2003), translated into Afrikaans in 2005 as n Ander Tongval
- There was this goat (2009), with Nosisi Mpolweni and Kopano Ratele
- Begging to be Black (2010)
Drama
- Waarom is dié wat voor toyi-toyi
Toyi-toyi is a Southern African dance originally from Zimbabwe that has long been used in political protests in South Africa.Toyi-toyi could begin as the stomping of feet and spontaneous chanting during protests that could include political slogans or songs, either improvised or previously created...
altyd so vet? (Why are those who toyi-toyiToyi-toyi is a Southern African dance originally from Zimbabwe that has long been used in political protests in South Africa.Toyi-toyi could begin as the stomping of feet and spontaneous chanting during protests that could include political slogans or songs, either improvised or previously created...
in front always so fat?) (1999)
- The play, a political tragic-comedy, premiered at the Aardklop Festival in 1999 and was subsequently performed at several locations throughout South Africa, including the Oude Libertas amphitheater in Stellenbosch in February, 2000. The play was directed by Marthinus Basson and starred Tess Van Staden (who was also the Executive Producer) and Nomsa Xaba. The play was considered a powerful contribution to South Africa's ongoing political debate about reconciliation.
Translation
- Domein van Glas, from the Dutch
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
Een Mond vol Glas by Henk van WoerdenHenk van Woerden was a Dutch painter and writer with close ties to South Africa.-Biography:He was born in Leiden. In 1956 he emigrated with his family to Cape Town, South Africa. Van Woerden matriculated in 1964 at the Fine Arts faculty of the University of Cape Town...
("Domain of Glass" from the Dutch "Mouthful of Glass")
- Lang Pad na Vryheid, from the English
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Long Walk to FreedomLong Walk to Freedom is an autobiographical work written by Nelson Mandela, and published in 1995 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Mandela was once regarded as a terrorist but he is now regarded as uncontroversial...
by Nelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
- Mamma Medea, from the Dutch
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
play Mamma Medea by Tom LanoyeTom Lanoye [lan-WA] is a Belgian novelist and poet who works in Antwerp and Cape Town . He gained widespread popularity in the early 1980s as part of the new generation of young Flemish novelists that included Herman Brusselmans and Kristien Hemmerechts...
Awards
- Eugene Marais Prize (1973)
- Reina Prinsen-Geerligs Prijs (1976)
- Rapport Prize (1987)
- Hertzog Prize
The Hertzog Prize or is an annual award given to Afrikaans-language writers by the South African Academy for the Sciences and Arts , formerly the South African Academy for Language, Literature and Arts...
(1990)
- Foreign Correspondent Award (1996)
- Pringle Award (1996)
- Alan Paton Award
The Alan Paton Award is a South African literary award that been conferred annually since 1989 for meritorious works of non-fiction. Sponsored by the Johannesburg weekly the Sunday Times, recipients represent the cream of contemporary South African writers who produce works that are judged to...
(1996)
- Booksellers Award (1999)
- Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
The Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation was established in April 1998 by the City of Hiroshima to promote peace, and to consolidate the city's activities in peace promotion, globalization, and international cooperation. It integrates the Hiroshima International Relations Organization and the...
Award (2000)
- Olive Schreiner Prize
The Olive Schreiner Prize is an annual award to new and emergent talent administered by the English Academy of South Africa.-Award winners:*2010 Poetry Finuala Dowling Notes from the Dementia Ward*2009 Prose Michael Cawood Green For The Sake of Silence...
(2000)
- RAU-Prys vir Skeppende Skryfwerk (2001)
- South African Translators' Institute Award for Outstanding Translation (2003)
Honorary Doctorates
- Honorary Doctorate from the Tavistock Clinic of the University of East London UK
- Honorary Doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch
- Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Free State
- Honorary Doctorate from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
See also
- Ruth First
Ruth First was a white South African anti-apartheid activist and scholar born in Johannesburg, South Africa...
- Nadine Gordimer
Nadine Gordimer is a South African writer and political activist. She was awarded the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature when she was recognised as a woman "who through her magnificent epic writing has – in the words of Alfred Nobel – been of very great benefit to humanity".Her writing has long dealt...
- Gwen Lister
Gwen Lister, is a Namibian journalist, publisher, apartheid opponent and press freedom activist.After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cape Town in 1975, she went to work as a journalist at Namibia's Windhoek Advertiser.In 1978 she co-founded the Namibian weekly Windhoek...
- Winnie Mandela
- Dulcie September
September, Dulcie Evonne was born on August 20th, 1935 in Gleemore , Western Cape, South Africa. She died after being assassinated in Paris, France on March 29, 1988...
- Albertina Sisulu
Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu was a black South African anti–apartheid activist, and the widow of fellow activist Walter Sisulu . She was affectionately known as Ma Sisulu throughout her lifetime by the South African public. In 2004 she was voted 57th in the SABC3's Great South Africans...
- Helen Suzman
Helen Suzman, DBE was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician.-Biography:Helen Suzman, a life-long citizen of South Africa, was born as Helen Gavronsky in 1917 to Jewish immigrants....
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