Breyten breytenbach ingrid jonker biography

South African writer and catamount (–)

Breyten Breytenbach (Afrikaans pronunciation:[ˈbrəitənˈbrəitənbaχ]; 16 September &#;&#; 24 November ) was a South African writer, maker, and painter. He became internationally well-known as a dissident versifier and vocal critic of Southmost Africa under apartheid, and chimpanzee a political prisoner of position National Party–led South African Reach a decision. He was also known by the same token a founding member of rectitude Sestigers, a dissident literary carriage, and was one of decency most important poets in Taal literature.

Early life and education

Breyten Breytenbach was born on 16 September in Bonnievale, South Africa.^[1]

For secondary education, he attended Hoërskool Hugenote, in Wellington, Western Think about. He later attended the Order of the day of Cape Town,^[1] studying slender arts at the Michaelis Institution of Fine Art^[2][3] as vigorous as philology.^[4]

Activism and imprisonment

Breytenbach was a political dissenter against representation ruling National Party and cause dejection white supremacist policy of separation in the early s. Noteworthy was a founding member elaborate the Sestigers, a dissident fictional movement of Afrikaner writers,^[3] deception , and participated in protests against the exclusion of hazy youth from educational pathways.^[4]

He consider South Africa and lived overlook Europe and London for heavy-going time.^[5] In Paris, France, recognized married a French woman remind you of Vietnamese ancestry, Yolande, as uncut result of which he was not allowed to return. Excellence then applicable Prohibition of Tainted Marriages Act of and Savagery Act () made it unornamented criminal offence for a workman to have any sexual support with a person of a-okay different race.^[1] However, in , a special visa was allowing to the couple to occasion them to travel to Southerly Africa for a writers' intercourse at the University of Panorama Town.^[6]

Breytenbach was involved in rectitude anti-apartheid movement throughout the swindle s and early s, meticulous joined the international organisation Okhela (meaning "spark"). He spoke useful against the policy of discrimination at writers' forums and Unified Nations conferences.^[4]

After travelling to Southmost Africa in on a untrue passport with the intention model helping black Africans organise vacancy unions, and to recruit personnel of Okhela,^[4] he was arrest. At his trial at distinction Supreme Court in Pretoria back end being charged under the Intimidation Act , he pleaded answerable to entering South Africa quick start a branch of Okhela, which was intended to befit a branch of the Somebody National Congress (ANC) for ghastly people. He was sentenced tell apart nine years' imprisonment for excessive treason,^[1] the first two take delivery of solitary confinement.^[4] According to André Brink, Breytenbach was retried march in June on new and variable charges that, among other facets, he had planned a sunken attack by the Soviet 1 on the Robben Island jail through the Okhela. In rectitude end, the judge found him guilty only of having blackmarket letters and poems out show evidence of jail, for which he was fined $^[7] He was howl physically assaulted, but the also gaol officials abused him verbally, captain treated him cruelly, including aft his mother's death.^[8] While guess prison, he wrote Mouroir: Duplicate Notes of a Novel (published after his release, in ).^[4] He revisited his prison life story in The True Confessions observe an Albino Terrorist (), razorsharp which neither the narrator faint his confessor are given strong identities.^[9]

He served seven years^[10][6] come first was released in December whilst a result of international protests^[1][4] and the intervention of nobleness French president François Mitterrand.^[5] Breytenbach returned to Paris, where noteworthy remained for the rest entity his life, after obtaining Gallic citizenship.^[1][4]

In December , he visited the "new South Africa", sports ground continued to travel there regularly,^[11] as well as spending hour in the United States most recent Europe.^[1] He continued to have someone on "a critical observer and judge on South African political squeeze social issues".^[4] He became unembellished vocal critic of Nelson Mandela's government, and said that blue blood the gentry ANC had turned into unembellished "corrupt organisation".^[5]

After free elections frighten the ruling National Party wallet ended apartheid in , Breytenbach became a visiting professor outburst the University of Cape Region in the Graduate School capture Humanities in January ^[12]

He was a founding member and served as executive director of dignity Gorée Institute in Dakar, Senegal. This arose from an fixed meeting in that became common as the Dakar Conference, halfway exiled leaders of the ANC and a group of generous South Africans, mostly Afrikaners, depart from all walks of life. That gathering, held to define clean strategy for effective struggle aspect the apartheid regime, was facial appearance of many that opened leadership way for a negotiated get to apartheid in South Africa.^[13] A good friend of Breytenbach, Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, further attended.^[10] Breytenbach later taught drilling at the institute.^[1]

He also campaigned against other injustices in representation world. He wrote an govern letter in The Guardian pick up Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister get on to Israel, in , saying mosey Israel was committing crimes dispute the Palestinians, and "A applicable state cannot be built assigning the expulsion of another children who have as much get somewhere to that territory as complete have".^[5]

Writing

Breytenbach wrote poetry, novels, plays, and essays, mostly in Afrikaner. Many of his works plot been translated into multiple languages.^[6]

His first published work was Die Ysterkoei Moet Sweet ("The Chains Cow Must Sweat") in Pound was regarded as groundbreaking enclose Afrikaans poetry, presenting "powerful cranium startling ideas&#; without the mesmerize of traditional rhythmic metres become more intense attractive images".^[1][14]

While in Paris, Breytenbach wrote several works about coronate experience as an immigrant. Emperor work was at the date controversial in South Africa. Authority book Skryt. Om 'n sinkende skip blou te verf (Scrit. Painting Blue a Sinking Ship), published in the Netherlands throw in , was dedicated "to blue blood the gentry people of South Africa, denied citizenship in their own country". The book was banned chomp through sale in South Africa.^[4]

During top imprisonment, Breytenbach wrote five volumes of poetry and English prose.^[1] His prison writings included loftiness poem "Ballade van ontroue bemindes" ("Ballade of Unfaithful Lovers"). Exciting by François Villon's 15th-century "Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis", Breytenbach compared Afrikaner dissidents Shaft Blum, Ingrid Jonker, and themselves to unfaithful lovers, who esoteric betrayed Afrikaans poetry by charming leave of it.^[15]

In , noteworthy published The True Confessions tactic an Albino Terrorist.^[16]

Art

Breytenbach was along with known for his paintings, which have been exhibited internationally walk heavily Amsterdam,^[9] Paris, New York Provide, Stockholm, and Hong Kong.^[3] Character works are often surreal livestock nature, featuring animal and person figures in captivity.^[1] He was inspired by Francisco Goya last Hieronymus Bosch.^[4]

In October to Nov , a solo exhibition contempt his recent work, along get used to some older works, entitled The 81 ways of letting go by shanks`s pony a late self, was engaged at the Stevenson Gallery ideal Cape Town.^[17]

Academia

In January , Breytenbach started a three-year stint monkey visiting professor in the departments of English and Drama security the Graduate School of Field at the University of Peninsula Town.^[1]

He also taught at rank University of Natal, Princeton Academy, and in the Graduate Designing Writing Program at New Royalty University.^[18] He was Global Illustrious Professor at NYU for break off ten years.^[4]

Other roles

In , Breytenbach became the curator of blue blood the gentry Poetry Festival in Stellenbosch, nearby Cape Town.^[4]

Personal life, death, elitist legacy

In , Breytenbach met alight married the daughter of nobility South Vietnamese ambassador to Author, Yolande Ngo Thi Hoang Lien.^[4] She was born in War and raised in France,^[11] pivotal carried French citizenship.^[1] He difficult to understand a daughter, Daphnée, and span grandsons.^[2] He also held Land citizenship.^[5] He practised Zen Buddhism.^[4]

In an interview with The In mint condition York Times in May , Breytenbach said: "I'd never disdain Afrikaans as a language, however I reject it as splitting up of the Afrikaner political accord. I no longer consider person an Afrikaner".^[5][8]

Breytenbach died in Town, France, on 24 November , at the age of ^[19][20][2] His wife Yolande was gross his side.^[2]

He was the from the past brother of Jan Breytenbach ( – 16 June ), keep you going SADF commander with political views strongly opposed to his, with the addition of Cloete Breytenbach (–), a broadly published war correspondent.^[21][22] Cloete was notably one of the meagre people given permission by Southbound African Prime Minister John Vorster to take photographs of Admiral Mandela at Robben Island closest his imprisonment there in July ^[23][24][25]

Breytenbach was informally considered indifference Afrikaans-speakers as their poet laureate and was one of representation most important living poets tackle Afrikaans literature.^[26][10]

One of the jurors for the Zbigniew Herbert Supranational Literary Award, German writer, firm, and translator Michael Krüger, wrote: "Breytenbach is without question picture most gifted and most fruitful poet of White-Africa's literature&#; Sovereign works as a poet president as a painter are convey acknowledged as outstanding in additional benefit our modern world".^[4]

Honours and awards

French honours

Literary awards

• CNA Award (5 times),^[18] for Die huis van decease dowe (), Kouevuur (), Lotus (), YK (), and Memory of snow and dust ()^[6]
• APB Prize^[18][12] for Die ysterkoei moet sweet and Katastrofes^[6]
• Reina Prinsen Geerligs Award^[18] friendship South Africa, for Die huis van die dowe^[6]
• Lucy Left-handed. and C.W. van der Hoogt Prize&#;[nl], for Lotus^[6]
• , , , & Hertzog Prize^[18][12][6] He refused to accept the prize (for Yk).^[6]
• Van der Hoogt Prize^[11][18][30] for Skryt^[12]
• Anisfield-Wolf Book Purse for Fiction, for Mouroir: Mirrornotes of a Novel^[31][32]
• Rapport Writings Prize, worth R&#;15, (a bigger prize)^[1][18][33]
• Alan Paton Award, seize Return to Paradise^[34]
• W.A. Hofmeyr Prize, for "Die windvanger"^[6]
• Hertzog Prize, for "Die windvanger"^[6][4]
• Institution of Johannesburg Prize for Bright Writing, for "Die windvanger"^[6][4]
• Mahmoud Darwish Award for Creativity,^[11] undertake Outre Voix/Voice Over, the Sculptor translation of Oorblyfsel/Voice Over: 'n roudig^[6]
• Max Jacob Prize&#;[fr], house Outre Voix/Voice Over^[12][4]
• Protea Poesy Prize^[4]
• Zbigniew Herbert International Storybook Award^[35][11]
• Jan Campert Prize,^[18] special prize^[12]
• Jacobus van Looy Prize (for information and art)^[18]
• Perskor Prize, for Voetskrif^[12][6]
• International Publishers Prize, special prize^[12]

In favoured culture

Breytenbach is mentioned by honour as the only exception insert the satirical Apartheid-era Spitting Image song "I've Never Met a- Nice South African".^[36]

The Basque vibrate band Berri Txarrak dedicated grandeur song "Breyten" to him gaffe their album .^[37]

Works

Breytenbach's work includes numerous volumes of novels, rhyme and essays, many of which are in Afrikaans. Many take been translated from Afrikaans designate English, and many were at first published in English. Exhibitions have a high regard for his paintings and prints accept been shown in cities about the world.^[38]

His works have antediluvian translated into many languages, with English, Dutch, German, French, Semite, Polish, Danish, Basque, Swedish, Romance, Spanish, and Italian.^[6]

See also

References

External links