Ingrid Jonker en die rooi trui
Ingrid se rooi trui / Ingrid’s red jersey
(English follows below – dit brei uit op die Afrikaans, lees gerus verder as die Afrikaans)
Die trui wat Ingrid Jonker vir André Brink gekoop het
(Kliek om groter te maak)
Vandag, so op Kersdag wil ek iets noem van ‘n geskenk wat aanhou gee. Hierdie rooi trui het Ingrid Jonker gekoop en aan André Brink geskenk.
Jip, Ingrid Jonker het dit met haar eie hande en swaarverdiende geld gekies, gekoop en as geskenk aan André gegee.
Toe ek dit in my hande hou, was dit ‘n enorme oomblik. Ingrid het hieraan gevat. Ingrid Jonker. Ingrid die digter, Ingrid die mite. André Brink het dit gedra.
André het ek geken. Nie besonder goed nie, maar wel. Sy werk ken ek en ek het ‘n paar jaar lank gewerk aan ‘n meestersgraad oor sy gebruik en misbruik van historiese dokumente in Inteendeel. Jonker was egter altyd die mite, die lover van André.
Die dag toe Karina, André se weduwee aan my deur klop met hierdie trui in haar sak, was op sigself ‘n geskenk. Sy het vir ‘n oomblik iets baie tasbaar van Ingrid aan my openbaar. Sy het my toegelaat om daaraan te vat.
Ek het al by meer as een geleentheid vir Karina daarvan “beskuldig” dat sy te vrygewig is – ek is bang sy gee soveel van haarself aan die Suid-Afrikaanse leespubliek, dat ons haar gaan leegsuig. Dan lag sy vir my en hou aan om André te deel.
Karina besef André is volksbesit. Sy sien dit duidelik met Ingrid ook.
Dit is uiteindelik ‘n enorme voorreg om Vlam in die sneeu: Die liefdesbriewe van André P. Brink & Ingrid Jonker te kan koop en lees.
The jersey that Ingrid Jonker bought for André Brink
Today is Christmas day. It is a day of reflection and sharing. I would love to reflect on a gift that Ingrid Jonker bought for André Brink – and my interaction with that gift.
It was hard not be emotional when Karina Szczurek pulled out the old, worn jersey from her bag. One of the great mythological figures of Afrikaans poetry bought this jersey for one of the really great South African authors as a gift.
Karina talks about Ingrid as that “ghost” in André’s life. When one sees the jersey, it is clear that the gift had meant much to him – he clearly held onto it as something tangible from the hands of Ingrid.
To be asked to photograph this jersey in my studio was quite a gift in itself. Karina and I looked at many different options, but in the end this “pose” was the one she felt was most alive. All I had to do was set op the lighting to capture this jersey for the viewer.
I was in the Book Lounge when I saw my photograph in the book for the first time. It gave me joy.
Karina is extremely generous in the way she shares her late husband with the reading public. Just like this jersey has survived both the giver and the receiver, so to have the letters written by Jonker and Brink (his due to the carbon copies he had kept).
Flame in the Snow: The Love Letters of André Brink & Ingrid Jonker is one of the generous ways in Karina shares “her” André and his “ghost” with the reading public.
Please spare a thought for her today. In a tweet she wrote:
What I wish for, I may not have.
Be gentle and kind, please.
Thank you, Karina, for the gift of sharing André and Ingrid with us.
In this article Karina herself talks about her journey with the letters of André and the “ghost”.
Karin Schimke talks about translating one of our best-known poet’s letters.
In hierdie artikel neem Elkarien Fourie die mite van Ingrid Jonker onder te die loep. Dit is ‘n fassinerende geskrif oor die parrellelle tussen die lewe van Ingrid Jonker en ‘n sprokie wat deur Hans Christian Anderson neergepen is oor ‘n meisie wat kreatiwiteit verkies bo die speel van ‘n rol vir die samelewing se onthalwe.
In Oktober het LitNet vir Ingrid Jonker gedenk as skrywer van die week.
Lees ook hoe Tom Burgers vertel oor die kaalfoto’s wat hy van Ingrid geneem het.
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4 responses to Ingrid se rooi trui / Ingrid’s red jersey
tina10 said on December 26, 2015
Dis baie spesiaal.
Hoop julle het die allermooiste Kersfees gehad.
Izak de Vries said on December 27, 2015
Dankie, liewe Tina. Ons Kersfees was stil, soos ons daarvan hou! En jy?
CM said on January 3, 2016
Die oortuiging van ‘n ewige bestaan is ‘n tragiese verkwisting van menswees.
Izak de Vries said on January 11, 2016