Breytenbach, Anker Win 2008 Afrikaans University of Johannesburg Prizes | Sunday Times Books LIVE
Breytenbach, Anker Win 2008 Afrikaans University of Johannesburg Prizes
by Ben - Editor on Apr 25th, 2008 Tweet
Alert! The 2008 University of Johannesburg Prize (aka the UJ Prize) for Afrikaans creative writing has been awarded to Breyten Breytenbach, for his collection of poetry, Windvanger.
The UJ Afrikaans debut prize, meanwhile, has gone to Willem Anker, for his novel Siegfried. Both books are published by the imprints of the NB group (blog | homepage): Human & Rousseau and Kwela, respectively.
Prize amounts have been upped by R10 000 each this year: Breytenbach will receive R60 000 at the awarding ceremony on 16 June at the University, and Anker R20 000. The announcement of the winners was brought forward, according to Prof Willie Burger, who chairs the Afrikaans awards, because of Breytenbach’s being in SA. (Habitually, the Afrikaans and English awards are announced together; but we’ll only know the English winners this August.)
Siegfried Landman is iets in die dertigs. Sy lewe lank het hy saam met sy pa op ’n afgeleë plaas iewers in die Karoo gewoon. Maar dan, op ’n dag, sterf sy pa, en moet Siegfried maak soos sy pa hom al die jare laat oefen het: gaan haal Wilhelm Smit (jare lank al ’n bywoner op hulle plaas) en gaan Kaap toe, na oom Bert Fischer, sy enigste oorlewende familielid naas sy ma, wat ’n meermin is in die see.
Dit word ’n magiese reis, wat begin met ’n besoek aan ’n boeregesin op nog ’n afgeleë plaas in die Karoo en amper eindig by Georg Fafnir, sirkusbaas met ’n voorliefde vir die teatrale.
Dit is ’n verstommende, meesleurende roman – ’n verhaal wat voortsnel tot ’n onafwendbare einde. ’n Kosbare toevoeging tot die huidige Afrikaanse boekmilieu.
Windvanger by Breyten Breytenbach
Cats: Afrikaans, Fiction, News, Poetry, South Africa
Tags: 2008, Afrikaans, BOOK SA - News, Breyten Breytenbach, Creative Writing, Fiction, Human & Rousseau, Kwela, Literary Awards, Literary Prizes, Literature, News, Poetry, Siegfried, South Africa, UJ, UJ Prize, University of Johannesburg, University of Johannesburg Prize, Willem Anker, Willie Burger, Windvanger
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