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Breyten Breytenbach
 
 
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Breyten Breytenbach (born September 16, 1939) is a South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
n writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
 and painter
Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
 with French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 citizenship
Citizenship

Citizenship refers to a person's membership in a political community such as a country or city. It has different legal definitions in different countries....
.

ten Breytenbach was born in Bonnievale, Western Cape in the Western Cape
Western Cape

The Western Cape is a Provinces of South Africa in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the huge Cape Province....
, approximately 180 km from Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
 and 100 km from the southernmost tip of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
 at Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas is the geographic extreme points of Africa of the African continent, commonly thought to be the Cape of Good Hope, and according to popular mythology is the dividing point between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean oceans....
. He studied fine arts at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town , is a public university located on the Cecil Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devil's Peak , in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
 and became a committed opponent of the policy of apartheid. He left South Africa for Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 in the early 1960s.






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Breyten Breytenbach (born September 16, 1939) is a South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
n writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
 and painter
Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
 with French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 citizenship
Citizenship

Citizenship refers to a person's membership in a political community such as a country or city. It has different legal definitions in different countries....
.

Biography

Breyten Breytenbach was born in Bonnievale, Western Cape in the Western Cape
Western Cape

The Western Cape is a Provinces of South Africa in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the huge Cape Province....
, approximately 180 km from Cape Town
Cape Town

Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town. It is the provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislature capital of South Africa, where the Parliament of South Africa and many government offices are located....
 and 100 km from the southernmost tip of Africa
Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
 at Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas is the geographic extreme points of Africa of the African continent, commonly thought to be the Cape of Good Hope, and according to popular mythology is the dividing point between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean oceans....
. He studied fine arts at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town

The University of Cape Town , is a public university located on the Cecil Rhodes Estate on the slopes of Devil's Peak , in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa....
 and became a committed opponent of the policy of apartheid. He left South Africa for Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 in the early 1960s. When he married a French woman of Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
ese ancestry, he was not allowed to return: The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act
Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act

The Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, Act No 55 of 1949, was an apartheid law in South Africa prohibiting marriages between people of different races. It was illegal for mixed races to marry each other....
 (1949) and The Immorality Act
Immorality Act

The Immorality Act was one of the first Apartheid laws in South Africa. It attempted to forbid all sexual relations between whites and non-whites....
 (1950) made it a criminal
Crime

Societies define Crime as the breach of one or more rules or laws for which some Government or force may ultimately prescribe a punishment.The word crime originates from the Latin crimen , from the Latin root cerno and Greek ????? = "I judge"....
 offence
Offense (law)

In law, an offence is a violation of the penal law. An offence can range from a simple misdemeanor to a felony . In common law usage, 'offence' differs from 'crime' in that there is typically no victim, but the action remains prohibited by statute....
 for a white person to have any sexual relations
Human sexual behavior

Human sexual behavior or human sexual practices refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their human sexuality. It encompass a wide range of activities such as strategies to find or attract partners , interactions between individuals, physical intimacy or emotional intimacy, and sexual contact....
 with a person of a different race
Racism

Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that Race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race....
.

In France he was a founder member of Okhela, a resistance group fighting apartheid in exile
Exile

Exile means to be away from one's home while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened by prison or death upon return....
. On an illegal trip to South Africa in 1975 he was betrayed (by the ANC who mistrusted him), arrested and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment for high treason
High treason

High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country. Participating in a war against one's country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps the best-known examples of high treason....
: his work The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist describes aspects of his imprisonment. Released in 1982 as a result of massive international intervention he returned to Paris and obtained French citizenship.

He currently divides his time between Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, Africa, and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. He joined the University of Cape Town as a visiting professor in the Graduate School of Humanities (from January 2000) and is also involved with the Gorée Institute
Goree Institute

The Goree Institute operates in peace building, development and the promotion of arts and culture in Africa.It was established on June 25 1992, in the wake of the historic meeting in Dakar, July 1987, between the exile leadership of the African National Congress and a significant group of influential civil society representatives and resea...
 in Dakar
Dakar

Dakar is the capital city of Senegal, located on the Cap-Vert, on the country's Atlantic Ocean coast. It is Senegal's largest city. Its position, on the western edge of Africa , is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional seaport....
 (Senegal
Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal, is a country south of the S?n?gal River in West Africa. Senegal is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea-Bissau to the south....
) and with New York University
New York University

New York University is a private university, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan....
, where he teaches in the Graduate Creative Writing Program.

The work of Breytenbach includes numerous volumes of poetry
Poetry

Poetry is a form of literature art in which language is used for its aesthetics and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning ....
, novels, and essays, many of which are in Afrikaans
Afrikaans

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. 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, United States of America, Taiwa...
, many translated from Afrikaans to English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, and many published originally in English. He is also known for his works of pictorial arts. Exhibitions of his painting
Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
s and prints were shown in numerous cities around the world including Johannesburg
Johannesburg

Johannesburg also known as Joburg, is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg is the province Capital of Gauteng the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa....
, Cape Town, Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
, Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
, Paris, Brussels
Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium....
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh

Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
 and New York.

Breytenbach was described as the only example of a "nice South African" in the song "I've Never Met A Nice South African
I've Never Met A Nice South African

"I've Never Met a Nice South African" is a satire song originating in a sketch on the British television series Spitting Image. It was written by John Lloyd and Peter Brewis and was sung by Andy Roberts....
". The song was written by John Lloyd
John Lloyd (writer)

John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd is a United Kingdom comedy writer and television producer. He is the great nephew of John Hardress Lloyd....
 for the satirical British TV series, Spitting Image
Spitting Image

Spitting Image was a United Kingdom satire puppet show which ran on the ITV television network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Independent Television....
.

He is the brother of Jan Breytenbach
Jan Breytenbach

Jan Breytenbach was appointed by the Founder of the South African Special Forces Brigade - General Frits Loots - as the first commander of South African 1 Reconnaissance Commando - the first unit founded within the South African Special Forces....
, founder of the South African Special Forces
South African Special Forces Brigade

The South African Special Forces Brigade is the main Special Forces unit of the South African National Defence Force .On October 1, 1972, 1 Reconnaissance Commando was created at Oudtshoorn, South Africa....
, and Cloete Breytenbach, a widely published war correspondent
War correspondent

A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents....
.

Poetry in Afrikaans

  • The Iron Cow Must Sweat (Die ysterkoei moet sweet), Johannesburg, 1964
  • The House of the Deaf (Die huis van die dowe), Cape Town, 1967
  • Gangrene (Kouevuur), Cape Town, 1969
  • Lotus, Cape Town, 1970
  • The Remains (Oorblyfsels), Cape Town, 1970
  • Scrit. Painting Blue a sinking Ship. (Skryt. Om `n sinkende skip blou te verf), Amsterdam, 1972
  • In Other Words (Met ander woorde), Cape Town, 1973
  • Foot Writing (Voetskrif), Johannesburg, 1976
  • Sinking Ship Blues, Toronto
    Toronto

    Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
     1977
  • And Death White as Words. An Anthology, London, 1978
  • In Africa even the flies are happy, London, 1978
  • Flower Writing (Blomskryf), Emmarentia, 1979 (Selected poems)
  • Eclipse (Eklips), Emmarentia, 1983
  • YK ('YK'), Emmarentia, 1983
  • Buffalo Bill, Emmarentia, 1984
  • Living Death (Lewendood), Emmarentia, 1985
  • Judas Eye, London - New York, 1989
  • As Like (Soos die so), Emmarentia, 1990
  • Nine Landscapes of our Times Bequeathed to a Beloved (Nege landskappe van ons tye bemaak aan `n beminde), Groenkloof
    Groenkloof

    Groenkloof is a suburb of Pretoria, South Africa.The famous Little Company of Mary Hospital is situated in Groenkloof as well as the Education Faculty of the University of Pretoria....
    , 1993
  • The Handful of Feathers (Die hand vol vere), Cape Town, 1995 (Selected poems)
  • The Remains. An Elegy (Oorblyfsels. ´n Roudig), Cape Town, 1997
  • Paper Flower (Papierblom), Cape Town, 1998
  • Lady One, Cape Town, 2000 (Selected love poems)
  • Iron Cow Blues (Ysterkoei-blues), Cape Town, 2001 (Collected poems 1964-1975)
  • Lady One: Of Love and other Poems, New York, 2002
  • The undanced dance. Prison poetry 1975 - 1983 (Die ongedanste dans. Gevangenisgedigte 1975 - 1983), Cape Town, 2005
  • the windcatcher (die windvanger), Cape Town, 2007


Prose in English

  • Catastrophes (Katastrofes), Johannesburg, 1964 (Stories)
  • To Fly (Om te vlieg), Cape Town, 1971 (Novel)
  • The Tree Behind the Moon (De boom achter de maan), Amsterdam, 1974 (Stories)
  • The Anthill Bloats … (Die miernes swell op …), Emmarentia, 1980 (Stories)
  • A Season in Paradise (Een seizoen in het paradijs), Amsterdam - New York - London, 1980 (Novel, uncensored edition)
  • Mouroir: Mirror Notes of a Novel, London - New York, 1983
  • Mirror Death (Spiegeldood), Amsterdam, 1984 (Stories)
  • End Papers, London, 1985 (Essays)
  • The True Confessions of an Albino Terrorist, London - New York, 1985
  • Memory of Snow and of Dust, London - New York, 1987 (Novel)
  • Book. Part One (Boek. Deel een), Emmarentia, 1987 (Essays)
  • All One Horse. Fiction and Images, London, 1989
  • Sweet Heart (Hart-Lam), Emmarentia, 1991 (Essays)
  • Return to Paradise. An African journal, London - New York, 1992 (which won the Alan Paton Award
    Alan Paton Award

    The Alan Paton Award — named for Alan Paton Cry, The Beloved Country — has been conferred annually since 1989 for meritorious works of non-fiction....
    )
  • The Memory of Birds in Times of Revolution, London - New York, 1996 (Essays)
  • Dog Heart. A travel memoir, Cape Town, 1998
  • Word Work (Woordwerk), Cape Town, 1999
  • A veil of footsteps, Cape Town, 2008


Collaboration


See also

  • Sestigers
    Sestigers

    The Sestigers were a group of influential Afrikaans-language writers in the 1960s started by Andr? Brink and Breyten Breytenbach, and which also included Etienne Leroux, Jan Rabie, Ingrid Jonker, Adam Small, and Bartho Smit....


External links

  • (by Breyten Breytenbach)