R.I.P. Andre P Brink

[Replay]

Renowned South African novelist and playwright, Andrè Brink has died.

According to Books Live Brink passed away while returning from Belgium on Friday, where he had been awarded an honorary doctorate from the Belgian Francophone Université catholique de Louvain (UCL).

Brink was born on 29 May 1935, in Vrede, a small town in the Free State.

He was 79-years-old and a literature professor at the University of Cape Town at the time of his death.

Brink wrote in both English and Afrikaans, and played a key figure in the Afrikaans literary movement Die Sestigers in the 1960s - along with Ingrid Jonker and Breyten Breytenbach. The movement sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government.

In 1973 his novel Looking on Darkness was banned, this was followed by the banning of another Kennis van die Aand the following year.

His 1982 novel, A Dry White Season, was turned into a film in 1989 and starred actors such as Marlon Brando, Donald Sutherland, Zakes Mokae and Susan Sarandon.

The novel, set in South Africa in 1976 and focuses on the death in detention of a black activist, was also banned by the apartheid goverment.

http://mg.co.za/article/2015-02-07-andre-p-brink-dies

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Brink

 

[zizo911]

RIP

 

[biometrics]

http://mg.co.za/article/2015-02-07-andre-p-brink-dies

 

[Creag]

Rest in peace

 

[Compton_effect]

Its high time I read Oom Kootjie Emmer again.

A light-hearted satire which was first published in 1973. Oom Kootjie Emmer (Bucket) is the undertaker and driver of the nightcart in the small town of Witgatworteldraai. Humorous anecdotes about village life and characters: the dominee, the police sergeant, widows and widowers – a wonderful array of characters. And how Oom Kootjie slyly plots and plans to get the bucket system in their village replaced by flush toilets. Delightfully funny!

At one time in the novel they have a small boom in tourists when a farmer drilling a borehole in nearby Skilpadtepel (Tortoisenipple) discovers oil. But it turns out to be a drum that fell off a truck years ago.

'Nou 'n boer kan baie vat, en droogte is een ding. Die eerste jaar is reg, die tweede jaar gaan bietjie sleg, maar teen die derde een begin hy sy moer strip.'

Sigh
I salute you sir - RIP.

 

[mika1000]

another great soul passed on... Rus in Vrede

 

[BLIXEMPIE]

A sad day indeed. RIP great man.

 

[Viva]

another great soul passed on... Rus in Vrede

Brink was born on 29 May 1935, in Vrede, a small town in the Free State.

 

[rrh]

When I was at Natal University (in the late 60's) Professor Brink was invited to give one of the weekly "University" lectures - open to all - under the auspices of the Department of Afrikaans-Nederlands.

Prof Brink was introduced to a packed lecture theatre - the University's largest - by one of the members of the Afrikaans Department who explained that, since Natal University was predominantly English-speaking, Professor Brink had consented to give the lecture in English. And that given English was not Professor Brink's home language, we were please to make allowances for any errors that he might make ...

Professor Brink rose and proceeded to give a 45-minute lecture - without notes - in impeccable English, using words with which most English speakers were unfamiliar

 

[etienne_marais]

When I was at Natal University (in the late 60's) Professor Brink was invited to give one of the weekly "University" lectures - open to all - under the auspices of the Department of Afrikaans-Nederlands.

Prof Brink was introduced to a packed lecture theatre - the University's largest - by one of the members of the Afrikaans Department who explained that, since Natal University was predominantly English-speaking, Professor Brink had consented to give the lecture in English. And that given English was not Professor Brink's home language, we were please to make allowances for any errors that he might make ...

Professor Brink rose and proceeded to give a 45-minute lecture - without notes - in impeccable English, using words with which most English speakers were unfamiliar

Leaves a warm feeling, doesn't it.

 

[RyanPCMR]

RIP.

 

[rph72]

Rus in vrede André P. Brink

http://www.netwerk24.com/nuus/2015-...ink-sterf?vc=fb19394bb04f0739f9bd0754bc5c82f4

Reus van letterkunde, WP-ondersteuner, Sestiger: André P. Brink sterf

Die veelbekroonde skrywer André P. Brink (79) is Vrydagaand oorlede aan boord van ’n KLM-vlug vanaf Amsterdam na Kaapstad.

Alta Brink, die skrywer se gewese vrou, het bevestig Brink oorlede.

“Ek kan net sê die familie is almal baie hartseer,” het sy Saterdag aan Netwerk24 gesê.

’n Woordvoerder van KLM het bevestig een van sy passasiers is Vrydagaand oorlede op ’n vlug wat na Kaapstad onderweg was.

Brink en sy vrou, Karina Szczurek, was van Amsterdam onderweg na hul huis in Kaapstad nadat Brink vroeër die week ’n eredoktorsgraad van die Franssprekende Katolieke Uni*versiteit in Louvain-la-Neuve ontvang het.

Brink, wie se gesondheid die afgelope paar jaar nie goed was nie, het die afgelope paar maande gesukkel om te loop en het die eredoktorsgraad in ’n rolstoel ontvang.

Die literêre wêreld het Saterdag met skok van sy heengaan verneem.

“ HY WAS ’N REUS. EEN VAN DAAI SKRYWERS WAT ’N MENS NET EEN MAAL IN JOU LEWE ONTMOET. ”
- Kerneels Breytenbach
“Hy was ’n reus. Een van daai skrywers wat ’n mens net een maal in jou lewe ontmoet,” het sy jarelange vriend, die uitgewer Kerneels Breytenbach, Saterdagoggend gesê. “Dis ’n massiewe skok. Dis nie ’n lekker ding nie.”

Breytenbach sê Brink was nie net een van Afrikaans se groot skrywers nie, hy het ook as literêre kritikus ’n groot merk gemaak – veral in die 1970’s toe hy die boekeblaaie van die Sondagkoerant Rapport hanteer het.

“Daardie was loshande die beste era wat literêre kritiek in die land tot nog toe beleef het,” sê hy.

Brink was ook aan die voorpunt in die geveg teen politieke sensuur.

“Nie net het hy sensuur aan eie bas gevoel nie, met die verbod op verskeie van sy boeke, maar saam met mense soos Breyten Breytenbach het hy ook namens ander skrywers daarteen geveg.”

Breytenbach sê hy sal Brink ook veral as rugbyvriend onthou.

“André was ’n groot Stormers- en WP-ondersteuner en ons het gereeld saam Nuweland toe gegaan.”

André Philippus Brink is op 29 Mei 1935 in Vrede in die Vrystaat gebore waar sy pa ’n magistraat was.

Hy het aan die Universiteit van Potchefstroom gestudeer en het, saam met Breyten Breytenbach en Etienne Leroux, die kern gevorm van ’n groep skrywers wat later bekend sou word as “die Sestigers” en ’n belangrike vernuwende invloed op die Afrikaanse letterkunde was.

Sy roman Kennis van die aand (1973) was die eerste Afrikaanse boek wat deur die destydse sensuurraad verbied is.

Hy het daarna die roman in Engels vertaal en dit is internasionaal gepubliseer as Looking on Darkness.

Van toe af het Brink amper al sy romans gelyktydig in Afrikaans en Engels geskryf.

Hy was ook bekend as letterkundige en vertaler en het onder meer Don Quixote en Alice in Wonderland in Afrikaans vertaal.

Hy was een van Afrikaans se produktiefste skrywers en het onder meer 26 romans en 14 dramas op sy kerfstok asook verskeie bundels reisverhale, boeke oor wyn en brandewyn en meer as 50 vertalings.

Danksy Brink kan ’n mens vandag klassieke werke soos Die Vindingryke Ridder Don Quijote de la Mancha van Cervantes, Alice in Wonderland deur Lewis Carroll, Die klein prinsie van Antoine de Saint-Exupéry en werke van Shakespeare, Camus Henrik Ibsen en Graham Greene in Afrikaans lees.

Sy werk is verskeie kere bekroon en hy het die Hertzogprys vir sowel drama (Die jogger in 2000) as prosa (Donkermaan in 2001) gewen.

Sy romans An Instant in the Wind en Rumours of Rain was albei op die kortlys vir die prestigeryke Bookerprys.