The 1973 novel Kennis van die aand holds the distinction of being the first Afrikaans book officially banned by the South African government. Authored by André Brink, the work was subsequently translated by the writer into English as Looking on Darkness, a move that initiated his practice of publishing texts in both languages to circumvent state censorship.
Formative Years and Education
Born in 1935 in Vrede, South Africa, André Philippus Brink matriculated at Hoërskool Lydenburg in 1952. He attained seven distinctions, a rare achievement for that era. He later studied literature at Potchefstroom University, which is now North-West University. A pivotal shift in his perspective occurred during a residence in France between 1959 and 1961, where he completed a degree in comparative literature at the Sorbonne. Observing black students treated as social equals in Paris challenged his upbringing and informed his future political stance. He later obtained a PhD in Literature from Rhodes University in 1975.
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During the 1960s, Brink became a core figure in Die Sestigers, an influential group of dissident intellectuals that included Ingrid Jonker, Etienne Leroux, and Breyten Breytenbach. The collective aimed to introduce global literary trends like modernism, postmodernism, and magic realism into the Afrikaans language. By doing so, they utilized their work to contest the National Party government and the prevailing policies of apartheid, seeking to align local literature with broader international developments.
Political Engagement and Literary Output
Following his second period in France from 1967 to 1968, Brink adopted a more combative political position. His writing, including novels such as An Instant in the Wind and Rumours of Rain, both of which were shortlisted for the Booker Prize, scrutinized the morality of apartheid. His 1979 work, A Dry White Season, earned him the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize. Following the end of National Party rule in 1994, his focus transitioned to the sociopolitical complexities of post-apartheid South Africa in titles like Imaginings of Sand and The Rights of Desire.
Final Years
Brink maintained a prolific career as a linguist, dramaturge, and teacher at the University of Cape Town. His personal life was marked by five marriages, and his son, Anton Brink, became an artist. In 2008, his family experienced a tragedy when his nephew, Adri Brink, was murdered in his home. André Brink passed away on 6 February 2015 while on a flight from Amsterdam to South Africa, shortly after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium.
Fast facts
- Born: 1935, Vrede, South Africa
- Died: 6 February 2015
- Movement: Sestigers
- Notable work: An Act of Terror
- Order of Ikhamanga in Silver: 2006
- Reina Prinsen Geerligs prize: 1965
- Monismanien Prize: 1989
- Languages: English and Afrikaans
Questions readers ask
Why did André Brink start writing in both English and Afrikaans?
He began writing in both languages to reach a wider international audience and to bypass the strict state censorship imposed on his Afrikaans works by the South African government.
What was the Sestigers movement?
It was a group of Afrikaans writers in the 1960s who sought to introduce global literary trends into local culture and speak out against the National Party government and apartheid.
Achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Order of Ikhamanga in Silver — 2006
- Reina Prinsen Geerligs prize — 1965
- Monismanien Prize — 1989
- Notable work: An Act of Terror
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