Antjie Krog

**Antjie Krog** (dem born am 1952) be South African writer den academic, she be known for ein Afrikaans poetry, ein reporting for de Truth den Reconciliation Commission, den ein 1998 book *Country of My Skull*. Insyd 2004, she join de Arts faculty of de University of de Western Cape as Extraordinary Professor.

## Ein Early life den education

Dem born Krog insyd 1952 wey dem born am for Afrikaner family of writers, wey na she be de daughter of Afrikaans writer Dot Serfontein. She grow up sam farm wey dey insyd Kroonstad, Orange Free State.

Na ein literary career start insyd 1970 for John Vorster ein apartheid years tym insyd, she rep sam anti-apartheid poem wey ein title be "My mooi land" ("My beautiful country") give ein school magazine. De poem opened with the line, "*Kyk, ek bou vir my 'n land / waar 'n vel niks tel nie*" ("I'm building myself a country where skin colour doesn't matter"). E cause stir insyd ein conservative Afrikaans-speaking community wey dem report for de national media. Krog publish ein first volume of poetry, *Dogter van Jefta* ("Daughter of Jephta"), as na she be just seventeen. Ronnie Kasrilslater translate den publish "My mooi land"  insyd January 1971 issue of *Secheba*, de official publication of de African National Congress (ANC) insyd London. ANC stalwart Ahmed Kathrada read de poem aloud after ein release from Robben Island.

## Ein Career

### 1980s: Poet den activist
Insyd de 1980s den early 1990s, as na she live plus ein husband den young kiddies insyd Kroonstad, Krog teach for sam black high school den teachers' college. Insyd Kroonstad, na she be politically active – wey na she dey attend ANC meetings den protests – wey she sana involve ein body plus Congress of South African Writers, wey dem form insyd 1987. Dem invite am say make she cam read poem for "Free Mandela" rally insyd de township of Maokeng. Ein anti-Apartheid activities for dat period insyd, den de hostility wey dem evoke among conservative white locals, be de topic of ein first work of prose, *Relaas van 'n moord* (1995; "Account of a Murder").

### 1990s: Journalist at de TRC
Insyd 1993, Krog cam turn editor of now-defunct Afrikaans current-affairs journal, *Die Suid-Afrikaan* ("De South African").

From 1995 go 2000, na she be radio journalist for South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). She lead de radio team wey cover de Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) from 1996 go 1998, wey ein report for dat period insyd cam turn de basis of ein second prose work, *Country of My Skull* (1998). Krog report under ein married name, Antjie Samuel.

### 2000s–present: author, academic, den public intellectual
Insyd de past two decades, Krog publish three volumes of new poetry, four prose books den book of essays, den several translations, wey dey include two from indigenous African languages. Krog sana translate Nelson Mandela ein biography, *Long Walk to Freedom*, go Afrikaans insyd. She regularly dey translate from Dutch go Afrikaans insyd as writing exercise.

## Ein Personal life
Krog marry architect John Samuel. She get four kiddies – Andries, Susan, Philip, den Willem – den 11 grandkiddies.

## Ein Poetry
Krog publish ein first book of verse, *Dogter van Jefta* ("Daughter of Jephta"), insyd 1970. Since then she publish chao further volumes. Ein poetry often be autobiographical, wey dey involve reflections on love den de responsibilities of artists, wey since de 1980s e often dey deal plus racial den gender politics. Krog talk say na ein sixth collection, *Jerusalemgangers* (1985), be de first wey get "complete political foundation." She mostly dey rep insyd free-verses.

Dem critically dey acclaim Krog ein poetry insyd South Africa. She win three Hertzog Prizes den chao other national awards. Dem translate ein poetry go English, Dutch, French, den chaw other languages. Dem first publish am for English insyd *Down to My Last Skin* (2000).Her theme is a large one: historical experience in the South Africa of her lifetime. Her capacities as a poet have grown in response to the challenge, refusing to be dwarfed. Utter sincerity backed with an acute, feminine intelligence, and a body of heart-rending experience to draw upon... No one in Australia writes at a comparable white heat. The phenomenon of Antjie Krog strikes me as quite Russian. In South Africa, as in Russia, life may be wretched; but how the brave spirit leaps to respond!

## Prose den non-fiction
*There Was This Goat: Investigating the Truth Commission Testimony of Notrose Nobomvu Konile* (2009) be work of academic non-fiction, wey she rep plus Nosisi Mpolweni den Kopano Ratele. De book dey follow de authors ein attempts say she go make sense of de experience of sam single woman, wey ein TRC testimony about de death of ein son, insyd Xhosa, sound strange den incomprehensible give menners wey dey listen de English interpretation.

Ebe de writing of J.M. Coetzee den Njabulo Ndebele wey dey  influence Krog ein prose, as well as various translated works from indigenous African languages, wey togeda "save [ein] life":De African writings give me access to world-conception wey I live plus all my life, but na ano really be aware of (ein radical profoundness, depth den beauty), wey Coetzee give me de tools wey ago take do meaningful dissections from am.

## Play den theatre adaptations
Dem stage Krog ein Afrikaans translation of *Mamma Medea* by Tom Lanoye for South Africa insyd 2002, under Basson ein direction. Saartjie Botha adapt den stage *<nowiki/>'n Ander tongval*, de Afrikaans translation of ein book *A Change of Tongue,* for theatre insyd 2008 under de direction of Jaco Bouwer.

## Ein Works

### Ein Poetry

* *Dogter van Jefta* (1970)
* *Januarie-suite* (1972)
* *Beminde Antarktika* (1974)
* *Mannin* (1974)
* *Otters in Bronslaai* (1981)
* *Jerusalemgangers* (1985)
* *Lady Anne* (1989; English translation: *Lady Anne: A Chronicle insyd Verse*, 2017)
* *Gedigte 1989–1995* (1995)
* *Kleur kom nooit alleen nie* (2000)
* *Verweerskrif* (2005; English translation: *Body Bereft,* 2006)
* *Mede-wete* (2014; English translation: *Synapse*, 2014)
* *Plunder* (2022); English translation: *Pillage*, 2022)

**Ein Collected poems**

* *Eerste gedigte* (2004)
* *Digter wordende: 'n keur* (2009), compiled by Krog
* *<nowiki/>'n Vry vrou* (2020), compiled by Karen de Wet

**Ein Selected poems insyd English translation**

* *Down to My Last Skin* (2000)
* *Skinned* (2013)

**Ein Poetry give kiddies**

* *Mankepank en ander monsters* (1989)
* *Voëls van anderste vere* (1992)
* *Fynbosfeetjies* (2007; English translation: *Fynbos Fairies*), with Fiona Moodie

### Ein Poetry anthologies

* *Die trek die dye aan* (1998), sam collection of erotic Afrikaans poetry, she edit am plus Johann de Lange
* *Met woorde soos met kerse* (2002), selection of poetry insyd indigenous South African languages, dem arrange den translate go Afrikaans by Krog
* *Die sterre sê 'tsau*' (2004), selection of 35 San poems, dem arrange den translate go Afrikaans by Krog

### Ein Prose den non-fiction

* *Relaas van 'n moord* (1995; English translation: *Account of a Murder*, 1997)
* *Country of my Skull* (1998)
* *A Change of Tongue* (2003)
* *Begging to be Black* (2009)
* *There Was This Goat: Investigating the Truth Commission Testimony of Notrose Nobomvu Konile* (2009), with Nosisi Mpolweni and Kopano Ratele
* *Conditional Tense: Memory and Vocabulary after the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission* (2013)

### Ein Theatre

* *Waarom is dié wat voor toyi-toyi altyd so vet?* (1999)

### Ein Translations

* *Lang pad na vryheid* (2000), from de English *Long Walk to Freedom* by Nelson Mandela
* *Domein van glas* (2002), from the Dutch history *Een Mond vol Glas* by Henk van Woerden
* *Mamma Medea* (2002), from the Dutch/Flemish play *Mamma Medea* by Tom Lanoye
* *Black Butterflies: Selected Poems* (2007), with André Brink, from the Afrikaans poetry of Ingrid Jonker
* *Die Maanling* (2021), from the English children's book *The Moonling* (2018) by Tjaart Lehmacher and Paula Oelofsen

## Ein Awards
**Ein Poetry**

* Eugene Marais Prize (1973), for *Januarie-suite*
* Reina Prinsen Geerligs Prize (1976)
* Rapport Prize (1987), for *Jerusalemgangers*
* Hertzog Prize (1990), for *Lady Anne*
* FNB Vita Poetry Award (2000), for *Down to My Last Skin*
* RAU-Prys vir Skeppende Skryfwerk (2001), for *Kleur kom nooit alleen nie*
* Protea Prize for best Afrikaans poetry (2006), for *Verweerskrif*
* Elisabeth Eybers Prize (2015), for *Mede-wete*
* Hertzog Prize (2017), for *Mede-wete*

**Ein Prose**

* Alan Paton Award for Non-Fiction (1999), for *Country of My Skull*
* Nielsen Booksellers' Choice Award (1999), for *Country of My Skull*
* Olive Schreiner Prize (2000), for *Country of My Skull*
* Nielsen Booksellers' Choice Award (2004), for *A Change of Tongue*

**Ein Translations**

* South African Translators' Institute Award for Outstanding Translation (2001-3), for *Met woorde soos met kerse*

**Ein Journalism**

* Foreign Correspondents' Association Award (1996)
* Pringle Medal for outstanding services to South African journalism (1997)

Dem share both journalism awards plus de rest of de SABC demma TRC reporting team.

**Ein Lifetime achievement**

* Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation Award (2000)
* Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees Afrikaans Onbeperk Award for innovative thinking (2004)
* Central European University Open Society Prize (2005)
* SALA Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)
* Gouden Ganzenveer (2018)

Na dem sanson award  Krog honorary doctorates from de Tavistock Clinic for de University of East London, de University of Stellenbosch, de University of the Free State, den Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
## References

## Read further
**Afrikaans:**

* Conradie, Pieter. *Geslagtelikheid in die Antjie Krog-teks.* Elserivier: Nasionale Handelsdrukkery, 1996. 
* Van Niekerk, Jacomien. *<nowiki/>'Baie worde': identiteit en transformasie by Antjie Krog.* Pretoria: Van Schaik, 2016. 
* Viljoen, Louise. *Ons ongehoorde soort: beskouings oor die werk van Antjie Krog.* Stellenbosch: Sun Press, 2009. 

**English:**

* Beukes, Marthinus. "The birth of the 'new woman': Antjie Krog and gynogenesis as a discourse of power". In *Shifting Selves: Post-Apartheid Essays on Mass Media, Culture and Identity* (ed. Herman Wasserman & Sean Jacobs), 167–180. Cape Town: Kwela, 2003. 
* Brown, David & Krog, Antjie. "Creative non-fiction: a conversation" (interview). *Current Writing* 23(1):57-70, 2011. DOI:10.1080/1013929X.2011.572345
* Garman, Anthea. *Antjie Krog and the Post-Apartheid Public Sphere: Speaking Poetry to Power.* Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2015. 
* Krog, Antjie. "'I, me, me, mine!': Autobiographical fiction and the 'I'". *English Academy Review* 22:100-107, 2005. DOI:10.1080/10131750485310111
* Lütge, Judith & Coullie, Andries Visagie (ed.). *Antjie Krog: An Ethics of Body and Otherness.* Pietermaritzburg: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2014. 
* McDonald, Peter D. "Beyond translation: Antjie Krog vs. the 'mother tongue'". In *Artefacts of Writing: Ideas of the State and Communities of Letters from Matthew Arnold to Xu Bing.* Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. 
* Strauss, Helene. “From Afrikaner to African: whiteness and the politics of translation in Antjie Krog’s ''A Change of Tongue''”. *African Identities* 4(2):179-194, 2006. DOI:10.1080/14725840600761112
* Viljoen, Louise. "The mother as pre-text: (auto)biographical writing in Antjie Krog's ''A Change of Tongue''". *Current Writing* 19(2):187-209, 2007. DOI:10.1080/1013929X.2007.9678280
* Viljoen, Louise. "Translation and transformation: Antjie Krog's translation of indigenous South African verse into Afrikaans". *Scrutiny2* 11(1):32-45, 2006. DOI:10.1080/18125441.2006.9684200
* West, Mary. "The metamorphosis of the sole/soul: shades of whiteness in Antjie Krog's *A Change of Tongue*". In *White Women Writing White: Identity and Representation in (Post-)Apartheid Literatures of South Africa.* Cape Town: New Africa Books, 2012. 
* Wicomb, Zoë. "Five Afrikaner texts and the rehabilitation of whiteness". *Social Identities* 23(1):363-383, 1998

## External links

* Videos of television program featuring Krog
* "African Forgiveness – too sophisticated for the West" (opening speech for de 2004 Berlin International Literature Festival)